The Ties that Binds
by Joy Blue
Summary: Family, friendship, love, and even hatred. There are the ties that binds us. AU.
1. Prologue

Standard Disclaimers Apply

The Ties that Binds

Prologue

Spoilers: Up until HM Arc, then it goes AU after that…

Rating: R

Three years after the war with Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo makes a decision that will affect everyone around him, especially the girl he left behind.

"Manager to Counter 2, please…"

The sound system inside the store startled Inoue Orihime as she sighed. She was daydreaming again. She bit her lip as she looked at the products in front of her, not quite sure what to pick. There were so many… she picked up two boxes, one for each hand and read both boxes. "They're both the same…" she whispered as she placed them both back in the shelf. Was one product better than the other? She looked at all the other items on shelf when the box with a bright orange letters that proclaimed: "Voted number 1 by consumers all over Japan!" got her attention. She picked the box up and compared it to the rest of others, none proclaiming being the best. Decision made, she was about to walk towards the counter when she stopped on her tracks.

"Inoue-san!" Kurosaki Yuzu greeted in surprise, while her sister Karin was staring at the box in Orihime's hands. "What are you doing here?"

Orihime laughed as she scratched her forehead. "Oh! I needed to get more band aids and alcohol… but they changed the isles around…"

As Orihime kept on babbling, Karin didn't take her eyes of the box that was now in the older woman's shopping basket.

"It… it's good to see you both… but I need to get home! Train-Man is on tonight!" With a quick bow, Orihime practically ran from the Kurosaki girls.

"Ne, Karin… you think she's okay? You should have said something, you know…"

Karin ignored her sister as she went to where Orihime was standing and pointed at the shelves. "Yuzu… look at them." She told her sister who followed and after a few seconds, Yuzu gasped.

"She was...?"

Karin took the same product Orihime just did a while ago and showed it to Yuzu. "Voted number 1 by consumers all over Japan. Bundle of Joy Pregnancy Test Kit. Results in two minutes…"

Yuzu stared at the box in shock. "Why would…" Yuzu stopped realizing she already knew the answer. "It's been almost four months, Karin."

Karin nodded. "Since Ichi-nii left."

The two girls stood there in silence when Isshin Kurosaki practically screamed.

"My babies! How could you…"

"SHUT UP!" Karin shouted as she returned the box, completely embarrassed by her father's outburst. "Don't even say it!"

Isshin sobbed. "Oh, what would your mother say?"

Karin seethed as she walked towards her father and hissed. "Shut up… that was Inoue-san's!"

Karin looked in shock at the transformation of her father. From the silly, pathetic, and foolish expression he had, to something more serious, alarmed. An expression that she has never seen before. Yuzu walked up to them and nodded.

"We saw her a while ago." She said softly. "I didn't notice what she was buying, but Karin did. She brought one of those."

Isshin simply nodded. "Looks like we're done here. Let's go home."

Yuzu and Karin looked at each other. Both were surprised at the serious tone their father used. Without saying another word, they followed their father to pay for their items.

Back in her empty apartment, Orihime closed the bathroom door as she waited for the result. She just hoped that Yuzu and Karin didn't know what she was doing there.

Orihime but her lip as she stared at the stick.

The day Ichigo left, he took her heart with him. He left with no explanation. Even his family didn't know where he was. When she tried Urahara-san, the store was closed. There was no one left who she could talk to about finding Ichigo. Chad didn't know; and the Ishida-kun has severed all ties with them after Aizen's defeat.

She was only one month late. And yet… she could feel something inside of her. She couldn't explain it. It didn't frighten her, it was calming in fact. She closed her eyes and rested her hands on her stomach. The timer on her cell phone made her jump, and as soon as her eyes opened, Orihime gave a small smile, and tried to stop the tears from falling.

It was positive. Orihime is pregnant with Ichigo's child.

-

He didn't tell his daughters where he was going. At the moment, he didn't know what to do. There was no one from Soul Society that was here, and even then… he wasn't sure if they should know what he suspects.

Standing in front of his wife's grave, Isshin smiled. "Masaki, looks like you might be a grandmother soon."

He closed his eyes and felt the cold breeze around him. Ichigo Kurosaki was a force to be reckoned with. His smile widened. Son of a Shinigami captain, the power he yielded has continued to surprise him, and those in Soul Society. Ichigo was strong. Capable of being the best Shinigami there is… the smile disappeared as he realized the situation.

Inoue Orihime was not a Shinigami. Yet, her powers that Aizen desired surpasses them all. Her powers hasn't been completely nurtured, and she hasn't reached the potential that Aizen saw. A blessing in disguise, perhaps. To combine Ichigo's Shinigami blood to Orihime…

He shook his head. His son was a fool. Leaving the girl will not protect her. Especially now. Isshin closed his eyes before a smile touched his lips again, "Of course, Masaki. She won't be alone."

Decision made, Isshin walked towards Orihime's apartment.


	2. Chapter 1

The Ties that Binds

Chapter 1

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Spoliers: Up to HM Arc is fair game  though it would just be tiny, tiny, bits… you

Probably won't even notice!

Anyway, got back yesterday from my work trip. I could have done better, all I had to do was stand there and TALK. I couldn't even do it properly… On a good note, last week training only magnified what I've always thought… I'd rather work in a more analyst capacity… ehem, enough of my sob story and on with the fic!

I'm still going through all the fics here and hopefully I can start leaving comments!

I will also respond to your comments later! Thank you for all your welcome!

Ehem… this chapter will take place a year after the prologue. Orihime was already four months pregnant by that time… and there have been instances I heard where women didn't even know they were pregnant until they were ready to give birth because they still had their period… and Orihime doesn't exactly have a 'normal' pregnancy…

All the gaps will be in form of flashbacks…

Ichigo? His disappearance will be explained… later.

The Ties that Binds

Chapter 1

One Year Later…

Laughter filled the living room of the Kurosaki household as Don Kononji's 'Bwa ha ha ha' escaped from the television screen. Karin Kurosaki shook her head in disgust as she stared at her sleeping nephew.

She smiled as the baby continued to sleep in her arms. Hime-nee had been so tired lately; she offered to take care of Sora. Little Sora. Ever since her father showed up with Orihime almost a year ago, their life changed.

They welcomed Orihime into their family, and the prospect of having a niece or a nephew added to the excitement. Her father changed most of all. He was still the silly, and the biggest dork there was within a ten mile radius, but she didn't miss the way her father's eye would wander around their house, as if he sensed something, or someone. His posture was always alert, as if he was expecting a fight.

Orihime became Hime-nee to them, because she was family now.

She had no idea where her brother went, and as much as she loves him, she hated him at the same time every time she looked at the girl… the woman he left behind.

"Is he still sleeping?"

Karin nodded as Yuzu approached them. "I'll take him, you go rest now, you have classes tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yeah… just be really careful, he's just fallen asleep."

"Is Hime-nee sleeping now?" Yuzu asked softly as she took Sora from Karin and cradled her nephew in her arms.

"Yeah. It took a while for me to convince her to take a break."

Yuzu smiled. "Sora-chan can be so naughty!" Both sisters looked at Sora, who looked exactly like their older brother. Even at such an early age, Sora's head was full of orange hair. "When do you think he'll be back?"

"Who knows?" Karin replied with a scowl.

Yuzu looked at her sister with disapproval. "Karin… you know Ichi-nii will come back."

"I… I know. It's just… would it kill him to just say pick up the phone and say 'hi'?"

"Ichi-nii will come back for Hime-nee and Sora-chan. If he's not here, then there's a good reason!"

Karin just nodded in response. She pushed the guilt of not having enough fate in her brother aside. Yuzu was right, their brother will come back. It was just every time she saw Orihime and Sora, it was so wrong not to have her brother next to them.

"I have to go, make sure you don't wake Hime-nee when you put Sora-chan back to his crib."

"Okay…"

-8-88-8-8

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The Shinigami turned abruptly at the sound of the voice. His eyes narrowed as he saw the man in the living room now standing before him in Shinigami uniform…

"Who are you? How dare you wear a Shinigami uniform?"

Isshin smirked. "I don't think you heard me, boy. Leave."

Makoto Kiba sneered. "You don't know who you are dealing with."

"On the contrary, it's YOU who don't know who you're dealing with." Isshin replied with a grin.

"Makoto! Stand down!"

Makoto looked in surprise as he saw his captain appear before him. "Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"I told you to stay in the next district."

"Hitsugaya-taichou! I… I was drawn here. I can't explain…"

"Return to your post."

Makoto didn't argue and bowed before he left.

The child prodigy looked at Isshin and bowed. "My apologies."

Isshin shrugged. "I already expected that one of you people will come around sooner or later." Isshin cleared his throat. "Hime-chan and her son are off limits, I hope you know that, Hitsugaya-taichou."

Hitsugaya turned his attention to the sleeping Orihime through the window and watched as Yuzu carefully laid the baby in the crib.

"You can't hide him forever. If someone like Makoto Kiba was able to sense a reiatsu that weak, others will too."

Isshin nodded. "True." Isshin let out a sigh as he looked at Shinigami captain. "What will your move be now, taichou?"

"Aizen is on the move. We have unconfirmed reports that he is gathering his forces. He hasn't given up yet. He will come back for her, and if he finds about the boy…"

"Is this your way of offering Soul Society's assistance?"

Hitsugaya looked away and turned his attention on Orihime. "I can sense that her powers have grown, but we both know it's not enough. It's in Soul Society's interest to make sure she and the boy stay safe."

The two watched Orihime and Sora sleep.

"I will request for more patrols in this area. You can expect more of us to be around."

Isshin didn't reply as he watched the young captain. "I see."

Hitsugaya gave a small bow before he disappeared, leaving Isshin alone in his thoughts.

The thought of Aizen returning and taking Orihime made his blood boil. If Aizen did find about Sora, there was no doubt he would take the baby too. _"Where the hell are you, Ichigo?"_


	3. Chapter 2

**The Ties that Bind**  
Chapter 2  
_Standard Disclaimers Apply_

_Once again, thanks again to ED for being a great beta!_

Chapter 2

"Where's my favorite grandchild?" Isshin asked as he entered the house with a big teddy bear.

Little baby Sora clapped his hands when he saw his grandfather, and Isshin roared with laughter as his seven-month-old grandchild stood up and walked over to him.

"That's my Sora-chan!"

"Yaji! Yaji!"

Isshin's eyebrow twitched.

"Karin!" he yelled, and Sora continued to repeatedly call him 'yaji.'. "What have you been teaching my grandson!?"

Sora reached for the bear and, with a sigh of defeat, Isshin gave to the waiting arms of the boy. Sora fell on his bottom since he could not support the weight of the bear. The baby boy laughed as he wrestled the bear to the ground and climbed on top of it.

"Shin-Shin!" Sora squealed and sucked on one of the teddy's hands.

Isshin pouted and knelt beside his grandson.

"Sora-chan, must you be so cruel to your grandfather? Calling me 'old man' and calling the bear with my name?"

Karin, having come downstairs in light of all the noise, smiled at her father as she leaned down to give her nephew a kiss on the head.

"Good boy, Sora-chan!"

"I'm home!" Orihime called out while she stepped inside the living room. "Karin, Isshin-san, how are you?" She walked towards her son. "Sora! My, what a _cute_ bear!"

Sora rolled off the bear and crawled excitedly towards his mother.

"Mama!"

Orihime picked up her son and kissed him on his nose.

"Were you a good boy today?" she cooed.

Sora buried his face in Orihime's neck and sighed as he wrapped his tiny arms around her tighter.

"Thank you for looking after him, Karin."

"Always a pleasure, Hime-nee. Besides, I want to make sure my nephew doesn't get influenced by that looser!"

Karin gave her father a pointed look.

Before Isshin could launch in his dramatics, he felt a strange, powerful reiatsu appear. Orihime and Karin both stood still in shock when they felt it too.

"Isshin-san?"

Isshin didn't reply and immediately transformed into Shinigami mode.

"Karin, you and Hime go down into the basement. Whatever happens, don't leave until I tell you to."

Before they could move, a blinding light crashed down from the ceiling, and Karin found herself thrown against the wall.

There was smoke everywhere, and Karin could barely hear her father's shout. She looked up to see that their roof has collapsed, and in the middle of their living room stood three people, two men and a woman, dressed in deep crimson outfits similar to the Shinigami uniform. The taller of the two men had dark hair and blue eyes. He was muscular, but not overly so. The next man was shorter, with brown, spiky hair, and he also had blue eyes. The lone woman in the group had frigid green eyes and long, curly brown hair.

Karin glanced beside her and saw Orihime, her back against the wall, with Sora protectively clutched in her arms.

The tall male in the middle looked at Karin and raised his swords toward her. She gasped, and her father was suddenly standing in front of her. He'd used such speed that she never saw him move.

"Who are you?" Isshin questioned, his voice holding years of authority.

"Who we are is not important," his voice was soft, and Karin peeked out from behind her father to watch the man while he continued to speak. "We are here for Orihime Inoue. Give her to us and you will have nothing to fear, Shinigami."

Isshin smirked as he gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"No deal."

Isshin ignored the cries of Karin and Orihime when the man attacked him. Isshin drew his Zanpakuto in time to meet the blade of his opponent, only to look in surprise as the blade stopped, as if a hidden force stopped it.

The mysterious man gazed over at Orihime, who now knelt on the floor with her precious bundle in her arms. With his free hand, the man felt the barrier that separated him from the Shinigami, he murmured a command, and the once invincible barrier glowed bright yellow.

"Interesting. It seems your powers have changed, Orihime Inoue."

Isshin looked at the barrier and realized that Orihime's shield had gone up without a spoken word of command from her. From the corner of his eye, the male Shinigami could see Sora turn his little head around, perhaps curious to see what was going on.

"Kusanagi," another dark haired male in the invading trio said with haste. "We are wasting time. The others will be here soon."

Kusanagi, the man fighting Isshin and clearly the leader of this trio, didn't lower his hands as he addressed his comrade.

"We are not leaving without the woman."

"I don't see what's so special about her," the woman in the group snapped before she tossed her curly brown hair behind her shoulders.

Kusanagi smiled while he lowered his hand from the barrier. His blue eyes twinkled momentarily before he addressed his comrade.

"But it seems Ichigo Kurosaki does."

The woman snarled, and she glared at Orihime hatefully.

"You have five seconds to come with us," Kusanagi addressed the human mother, "or your family's life is forfeited, Orihime Inoue."

His words reminded Orihime of Ulquiorra Schiffer. This time, however, there was far more at stake. Returning to Hueco Mundo with Ulquiorra hadn't stop the war or the bloodshed, and Orihime was certain it wouldn't now.

"No."

Her voice left no room for negotiation.

Kusanagi smiled at Orihime's response. He raised his hands to touch the barrier again, and Orihime watched in horror as her shield shattered. Isshin didn't waste any time and attacked Kusanagi, who met Isshin's Zanpakuto with his own.

Karin and Orihime stayed behind, both watching the fight with guarded eyes. They watched as Isshin fought with so much ferocity, it was hard to see him as the goofy man they knew and loved on a regular basis.

Not far from where the human women watched the fight, the other two enemies watched as well.

"Hmph. Ichigo must be blind to go for a broad like _that_."

"Nadeshiko," her companion said her name dryly. "Shut up."

Nadeshiko ignored the man next to her, and she continued to glare at Orihime until her eyes widened in surprise when she finally realized what was in her arms.

"Hideyoshi, look at her!"

Hideyoshi, the third and last member of the trio, tore his gaze away from the fight to look at Orihime and saw a rather familiar mop of orange hair…

"No way!" his eyes widened in disbelief.

Nadeshiko watched the baby in glee as she prepared to draw her own weapon.

"Do you realize who that child is?"

"Sora Kurosaki," said Hideyoshi as he weighed his options. "He's practically unprotected."

"We kill him now, and we save ourselves a whole lot of problems!"

Hideyoshi rolled his eyes.

"We need him alive, remember? Besides, do you honestly believe that his mother would just hand him over?"

"I will make her!"

Hideyoshi swore and moved to stop his companion, but he moved a second too late. Nadeshiko drew out a pair of sai blades and rushed towards Orihime.

Orihime moved just in time to avoid being slashed by the weapon. Using her right leg, she tried to knock Nadeshiko off balance, but the woman was too fast for Orihime. This time, the mother didn't have a chance to avoid the blade that slashed her arms.

"Leave her alone!" Karin cried and moved to help Orihime, but Hideyoshi stopped her. "Get out of my way!"

"I can't," he said simply and drew his own Zanpakuto.

Karin was at loss for what to do. She knew that without any weapon, she couldn't fight. She clenched her fists in anger and glared at the man called Hideyoshi.

"What the hell do you want our Hime-nee for?!"

"I can't tell you that either."

His answer angered Karin further, and she tried to look for something, _anything_ to fight this man with.

Sora's scream froze Karin's blood, and she watched in horror as the woman called Nadeshiko withdrew the sai from Orihime's side. She was about to run towards Orihime when another figure blocked her path. She could only stare dazedly at the familiar white hair of the Shinigami she'd met all those years ago.

"Toshirou-kun?"

"That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you," he said, almost as way of greeting. He looked around with his eyebrow raised and finally his gaze rested on Hideyoshi. "It would seem that there's no room for us to fight here."

Hideyoshi grinned and shattered the wall next to them, opening the area to the back yard.

"Will this do, Taichou?"

Hitsugaya's only response was to attack.

With no one to block her way, Karin began to move, only to find out that she _couldn't_.  
She tried to move her arms, but even her fingers couldn't move.

_What the hell_? she thought frantically.

-0-0-0-

Orihime kept her hold on Sora, unable to fight, or even call Tsubaki. Since Sora was born, she had been unable to use her Shun Shun Rika in full strength. This was the first time since Sora's birth that she was able to call upon her shield.

"Pathetic," Nadeshiko sneered in disgust. "_You_, the mother of the great hero, Sora. Not even able to fight to defend herself. No wonder Ichigo left you. You're _useless_!"

Nadeshiko watched in vicious glee as her taunt got a reaction out of Orihime. She twirled the pair of sai in her hands as she thought of how to strike next. No matter how much she tried to hit the child, the woman was using her own body to protect the boy.

"I'll make it easier for you. Give me the boy, and I will spare your life."

"What do you want with my son?"

Nadeshiko gripped the sai tighter and pointed them both in Orihime's direction.

"What I do with the boy is none of your business."

Orihime turned her attention briefly to Isshin, who was holding his own with the one called Kusanagi, and then to Karin, who was trying to control her temper as she stood, unable to move. Sora continued to cry, and Orihime held him tighter.

Nadeshiko gripped the sai again, ready to attack. She watched Orihime, who was beginning to pale as blood continued to flow from her wounds.

_I don't care what that bastard Kusanagi says_, Nadeshiko thought. _Kill them both now, and we won't have anyone standing our way. Kill them now, and _she_ won't be standing in _my_ way. Ichigo will be mine!  
_  
"Give the boy to me!" Nadeshiko demanded, her tone harsh.

"No!" Orihime cried defiantly.

Nadeshiko smirked as she crossed the blades of the sai and pointed it towards Orihime, who had turned her body to protect her son.

"Slash, Kuro," was her release command.

Orihime's scream of pain distracted Isshin and Kusanagi. Even Hideyoshi and Hitsugaya stopped as they saw Orihime covered in blood.

"Nadeshiko, you fool!" Kusanagi yelled. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Orihime's arms trembled as her hold on Sora loosened. Sora's cries stopped when he left Orihime's embrace.

"Mama?" he murmured, his voice soft and confused.

Nadeshiko pushed Orihime to the ground before she pulled the boy away, and no one in the room moved as she clutched Sora by back of his clothes.

"Nadeshiko!" Hideyoshi demanded. "Put the boy down, right now! Inoue is our mission, _not_ the boy!!"

"Shut up, Hideyoshi! Don't you see? Without this boy, we will win the war!"

"We need that boy alive!" shouted Kusanagi. He _knew_ he should have never allowed Nadeshiko to come. "You are jeopardizing the mission, Nadeshiko. I am giving you a direct order. Put the boy down!"

Hitsugaya calmly assessed the situation around him. One look from Isshin, and the young captain knew his fear was correct. They had no idea on what that woman was capable off, and with that blade so close to Sora's chest, there was no way they could move without endangering the boy further.

"Let him go."

Everyone's attention turned to Orihime who was lying on the floor as she tried to get up.

"You are in no position to order me around, whore!"

The air around them became cooler.

"Look at you," Nadeshiko said with complete disgust. "I didn't even fight you will my full power, and you're almost dead!"

"I'm warning you," Orihime said quietly. "Let him go."

"Or what? You'll send your little fairies after me? You have no will power to fight. To kill. You never have, and you never will! I _will_ take this boy, and I _will_ show everyone that I'm the one who's powerful!"

"Nadeshiko, put him down right now!" the leader of the trio ordered sternly. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"I don't have to listen to you. To any of you! Once I finish with this boy, you'll see that I was right all along!"

"Let my son go…"

Nadeshiko turned and sneered at Orihime, who was now on her knees.

Sora began to tremble as he tried to wriggle away.

"Mama!"

"Give me back my son!" Orihime's voice trembled, and she lifted her face up in definance.

Her pins glittered slightly, yet no one noticed.

Nadeshiko cackled in delight as she saw the angry slashes her attack caused.

"Watch me Inoue! I've taken Ichigo from you, now I'm going to take your bastard son away!"

"_You will not hurt my child!_"

With an angry scream, a strong wind lashed inside what was once the living room of the Kurosaki household.

Everyone watched in awe as the wounds in Orihime's body closed slowly. It looked as if there was some unseen force that lifted her body from her kneeling position, until she hovered a few feet from the ground, her hair flowed behind her as her brown eyes glittered like her hair pins.

"I am warning you, Nadeshiko. Let. My. Son. _Go_."

Nadeshiko held her head up high and she tightened her grip on Sora, who didn't cry, but still reached out to Orihime.

"Mama!"

"You want him?" Nadeshiko snarled. "Catch!"

She threw Sora high up in the air and crossed her sai again and pointed them up at Sora's falling body.

"Slash, Kuro!"

Isshin watched everything as if it was in slow motion. Everyone, even the men who came for Orihime, moved to save Sora. They all watched with horror and dread as the blades splintered into a dozen thin blades shot up in the sky towards the falling boy.

There was a bright light, and Isshin felt his skin burn at the intense heat. It felt as if gravity disappeared, and they all floated momentarily. Everything turned so white for a second that he had to close his eyes, and there was nothing but silence as he felt his feet touch the ground.

The earth beneath him trembled, and when he opened his eyes, his house was almost gone. The men in red uniforms were lying in the ground. Karin, Hitsugaya and himself were the only ones standing. Orihime was still hovering a few feet in the air, Sora safe in her arms, while the woman called Nadeshiko was the one on her knees now, wailing as loudly and desperately as the day she was born.

"My face! What did you to do my face?!"

Isshin moved towards the young mother and son to protect them if needed and found himself encased behind some sort of shield.

A few feet from him, Kusanagi and Hideyoshi weakly got up. Isshin looked in wonder when he saw and felt them. They appeared unhurt, but their reiatsu has greatly weakened.

"I warned you, woman!" Orihime said, her voice unforgiving and demanding respect.

"She destroyed my face!" Nadeshiko screamed, covering her mangled face with her hands.

Kusanagi and Hideyoshi moved in a way similar to the shunpo to reach their female companion. Both men looked at Orihime, who was now healed of all her injuries and still protectively clutching her most precious treasure.

"You do know how to fight when provoked, Orihime Inoue," Kusanagi said with praise. "Come with us, and we will spare everyone. Even your son. Can you fight all of us, in one go? Can you use that same level of power the next time we attack?

"There will be no next time, Kusanagi."

Orihime felt her heart skip at that voice. She turned around, expecting to see the man she hasn't seen in more than a year walking towards them. Except, she saw a young man, a boy, really, who was dressed all in black. He locked eyes with her at her for a second as he passed, and Orihime gasped.

She'd just stared into her own eyes.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Hideyoshi yelled in aggravation.

"I told you to stay away from Karakura," said the stranger, who calmly walked in front of Orihime to protect her from any more attacks.

The young man was dressed like a ninja, Karin noted. He was wearing all black, with his sword behind him like Ichigo wore his. He sounded like her brother, too, but different at the same time. She also noted that the three would-be captors in those strange crimson Shinigami-like uniforms looked in great anger at the new comer.

"You really think I was going to let you come here and have all the fun?" the boy said, his tone mocking. "I knew something was up when no one wanted to kill me today. Should've known you'd pull something this dirty."

"We're here for her," Kusanagi said an gave Orihime a pointed look. "Orihime Inoue is the only thing that matters. Not even you can do anything if we have her!"

Karin watched the stranger draw his sword.

"More reason for me not to let you anywhere near her!"

"Kusanagi, the others," Hideyoshi warned. "They're here!"

Kusanagi returned his Zanpakuto to its scabbard.

"This isn't over yet," he glared.

As Renji, Rukia and Matsumoto arrived, Kusanagi and his comrades disappeared. Once they were gone, the shield protecting Karin, Isshin and Hitsugaya disappeared, and they all ran to where everybody else was.

"Who the hell was that? Are they with Aizen?" Rukia demanded.

"No. Aizen is the least of your worries."

Rukia turned her attention the owner of the voice. Her eyes narrowed at the young man wearing a strange looking outfit, his face was covered, but his eyes… there was something familiar about those eyes.

"And who are you?" Renji asked wearily.

The masked stranger looked at Renji and bowed.

"I can only tell you I'm a friend."

"Ichi-nii?"

Isshin watched his beloved daughter look at the stranger with hope, yet he knew that this was not his son. Nevertheless, there was something about him that _was_ oddly familiar.

"No, I'm not your brother."

His words were soft and kind. He bowed to Isshin before he turned his attention to Orihime who looked at him curiously as she held her son in her arms.

"I know you, don't I?" she asked as her feet finally touched the ground.

"No you don't," he spoke too quickly as he scratched the back of his neck. He looked at the baby in her arms and coughed politely. "Cute kid."

Orihime beamed and nodded.

"Yes, he's quite adorable. His name is Sora."

She looked at him with a kind smile.

"Won't you tell us your name?"

The masked stranger seemed to ponder her question, and just as Isshin thought, there was no one in this world who can refuse Orihime when she gave that smile.

"Kakei. You can call me Kakei."

To Be Continued.

Ichigo will make an appearance next chapter, and the next chapters will explain a few things further. Thank you to all that reviewed. I appreciate it very much!


	4. Chapter 3

Ehem. I'm back! Thank you for all the comments! I appreciate them all. Sorry for the delay. Had to take university related stuff out of the way. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Once again, a very big thank you for EternalDream for being the best!

The Ties that Bind 3

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Chapter 3

Renji looked at the boy who called himself Kakei. While it had burst forth like an open flame moments ago, his reiatsu was now undetectable. Only a slight trace of residue was left, but even that little bit had been enough of such an enormously powerful reiatsu to draw Rukia and himself here.

"It doesn't look like he means any harm," Rukia said quietly.

Renji looked at Rukia and shrugged.

"Perhaps. But there's something about that boy."

Renji eyed Kakei with light suspicion.

"Yes, I agree. How did he get here anyway, and where did he say he was from?" the female Shinigami asked as she tried not to smirk in amusement at the scene before them.

A fierce battle of wills was ensuing as little Sora was trying playfully to yank the mask off Kakei, and the older man tried with some frustration to give Sora his milk.

"Why did Orihime let this boy hold Sora?" Renji asked, deliberately avoiding Rukia's question because he himself had no answers.

Rukia smiled and turned to Renji.

"She thought it would be cute."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"That woman's gonna one day get herself into a lot of trouble over things that are 'cute'."

Rukia playfully nudged him.

"Back off. I think it's cute too, so there."

Renji raised his eyebrow and did his best to hide his own smile. Somebody had to have some sense of caution around here, after all.

As the two younger Shinigami went back to observing Sora and Kakei, Isshin and Toushiro watched the scene from the roof.

"His reiatsu is unbelievable," the 10th captain observed, his voice filled with a hint of awe and respect. "It's nothing like I've ever felt before. This boy can give your son a run for his money."

Isshin nodded his head. Orihime was too trusting of this Kakei, and yet he found himself willing to trust this boy too.

"He's not from Soul Society?" Isshin inquired.

"No. If he is, his clan could've left or been exiled. Either way, I have no knowledge about this boy or the other hostile ones." Hitsugaya replied as his hand gripped the hilt of his sword. "Your daughters?"

"Yuzu will be fine, once she gets over the shock. Karin was never injured, thanks to you."

Toushiro nodded and tried to think of a way to ask his next question.

Isshin guessed what was going through the young captain's mind and said, "We don't know where Ichigo is, and I've met with the Vizards. They also claimed to know nothing of his whereabouts."

"Do you believe them?"

Isshin nodded resolutely.

"Ichigo was with them for about three months after he disappeared, and then he left. Now, even they don't know where he is."

Toushiro glanced briefly to where Orihime and Karin were tending to Yuzu, who had fainted from shock, before fixing his eyes on Isshin.

"I'll give my report to Soul Society, and perhaps we will be able to find out the identity of your attackers."

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-taichou."

Toushiro nodded and started to walk away, but Isshin called his name. He turned and raised his eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Karin is old enough to date. You have my permission."

Isshin tried not to roar with laughter as the young captain turned red in embarrassment and hastily disappeared. The elder Shinigami opted for a sly smirk instead and returned his own gaze to Sora and Kakei. His smirk slowly turned into a full-blown grin as he listened to a flustered Kakei try to plead with Sora to drink his milk.

"Come on, quit yanking on my mask you little…" Kakei gently but firmly attempted to pry Sora's hands away from his mask with one hand. The situation was getting ridiculous. "I couldn't possibly have been this difficult. Yuzu-nee told me I was a complete angel!"

"Kakei-kun?" a soft voice called from behind.

He turned around and felt his heart beat in absolute panic as Orihime walked towards him. She hadn't heard him talking to himself, had she?!

"I'm sorry, has Sora been difficult?" the beauty inquired innocently.

"Uh, no, not at all!" Kakei replied and handed Sora back to his mother.

Relief wafted through his entire being the moment Orihime took the baby back. She obviously hadn't heard him talking to himself like an idiot.

"I'm so sorry to bother you Kakei-kun, but Yuzu…" the young mother trailed off.

"It's okay, really. I don't mind," he replied and tried not to stare at Orihime and Sora too long. "I should go."

"Thank you," Orihime said quietly. "For everything today."

"It's not a problem, O…Orihime-san."

Orihime smiled, and Kakei felt like he was home again.

"Don't you want to stay for dinner?" she questioned eagerly. "I'm cooking pasta."

"NO!" Kakei replied a little too loudly. He turned red underneath his mask. "I mean, that's not necessary. I have to go home now."

"Where is home, anyway?" Isshin asked from above. He jumped down and approached the three. "You never did tell us where you were from."

"I'm sorry, but you don't need to know that," Kakei replied as respectfully as possible while he bowed to Orihime and then to Isshin. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Before any of them could say anything, Kakei was gone in the blink of an eye. Isshin couldn't help but be impressed with the young man's speed.

"Hmmmm, I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this Kakei," he said to himself as he scratched his beard thoughtfully.

0-0-0

Not that far from the clinic, Kakei leaned against an alley wall and let out a thankful breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. He looked around before he removed his mask.

"Sora, you stupid egghead!"

Sora never had a chance to move before a fist collided with his cheek.

"Oww! What the hell are you doing here?! I told you to stay at the gate!"

Hisana Abarai stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? I had to come to watch your back and make sure you didn't mess anything up!"

"If they felt your reiatsu, it's game over!"

"You're not the only one who can hide reiatsu!" Hisana glowered.

As the two continued to bicker, they barely noticed the appearance of a newcomer.

"Ehem," the intruder coughed politely.

"YOU!" the pair shouted in surprise.

Kisuke Urahara shook his head at them.

"What part of 'covert operation' is so hard to understand?"

Hisana and Sora glared at each other, each of them silently place the blame on the other. With a patient sigh, Urahara walked towards them and handed Sora a bag.

"The danger to your mother is not over," he informed them, his voice serious. "You need to stay here."

"What about me?" Hisana asked as she watched Sora look through the bag.

Urahara shook his head.

"You can't stay here, Hisana. You're needed home. Sora is the only one who is safe. None of you exist in this time. If your parents find out…" Urahara sighed deeply. "Well, let's hope we won't ever have to cross that bridge."

Hisana pouted and looked at Sora.

"You better be fine, jerk," she said in a rough, albeit affectionate tone.

Sora nodded, and the two males watched Hisana disappear.

Urahara turned to Sora.

"You did well today."

"Thank you, Urahara-san."

"Your father will be proud."

"Tch," Sora sneered. "Whatever."

Urahara ignored the familiar bitterness.

"Remember the mission. You can't let anyone know who you really are. The future has already been changed."

"Oka-san—" Sora began worriedly.

"Your mother is safe. Everyone is safe. We are still winning the war. But one mistake, Sora. One mistake and Soul Society will fall. Time was never meant to be trifled with."

"But you—"

"I tried to save a life, and I failed."

Sora opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. Instead he stood straighter and gave Urahara a confident smile.

"I won't fail."

Urahara returned the smile and ruffled his hair.

"I know you won't. You take care of things here, and I promise you that we won't let anything happen to your mother while you are away."

Sora nodded and watched Urahara walk away with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Where are you going?"

Urahara didn't stop as he answered Sora's question.

"To see a friend."

Sora sighed when Urahara walked out of his sight. He looked at the bag again and took a blue baseball cap and placed it on his head to hide his hair.

"Suppose it's better than that stupid mask," he muttered.

He took the map from the bag and followed the directions to where he was going to stay. His hands reached into his pocket, and he held the precious locket he was hiding.

"I'm going to protect you, Oka-san. I swear."

0-0-0

Far from Karakura, in a location unknown, Nadeshiko cowered as her master approached her.

"I thought I made my instructions clear, Nadeshiko."

"Seishiro-sama…" she trembled.

The man called Seishiro smiled venomously as he walked closer.

"Consider yourself lucky Orihime was not harmed. Your punishment would've been severe."

Nadeshiko felt cold as Seishiro lifted her chin and stared at the scars that marred her once perfect face.

"It seems Orihime can fight on her own after all," he observed, his smile widening.

He released her face and walked away from Nadeshiko.

"I'll be expecting you in the War Room after dinner. We have a new strategy to discuss."

With a flick of his wrist, the scars on Nadeshiko's face disappeared.

Nadeshiko touched her face, and she couldn't feel a single scar.

"Seishiro-sama—" she began.

"Disobey my orders again Nadeshiko, and I will do more than destroy your face. Am I clear?"

Nadeshiko nodded obediently and tried to not to scream in anger.

"Yes, Seishiro-sama," she replied thickly, hoping her heated tone was disguised enough for her master to not notice. "It won't happen again."

With that, Seishiro closed the door and acknowledged Kusanagi, who was waiting for him.

"You healed her?"

"She will be useless otherwise. Where is Hideyoshi?"

"Training. He was disappointed with his performance today."

"He's alive. He faced the original child prodigy and survived. He may not be so lucky the next time."

Kusanagi nodded and followed Seishiro in the War Room.

"How did Sora find out?" Kusanagi inquired.

"Urahara," Seishiro said with disgust. "That man is more trouble than he is worth."

"The man who created the time machine?"

Seishiro nodded.

"Did you know he originally created it to save some child?"

Kusanagi shook his head.

"He failed of course; the child still died. At that time it was in much different circumstances, but he still failed."

Kusanagi said nothing for a moment before voicing a question that had been nagging at him for a while.

"Seishiro-sama?" What do you plan to do once you reclaim Soul Society?"

"I will rule that place they way it was meant to," he replied lightly, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Seishiro-sama!" a hurried voice yelled in the distance.

Kusanagi and Seishiro turned to look at a young soldier who looked out of breath.

"Kurosaki…Ichigo Kurosaki has been spotted!"

"Where?" Seishiro demanded sharply.

"Karakura. The Ichigo Kurosaki from the past, where Kusanagi-san and the others were. He is on his way home!"

Seishiro grinned broadly at the news.

"Prepare the gate. I will be leaving for Karakura."

End Chapter


	5. Chapter 4

The Ties that Bind 

Standard Disclaimers Apply 

"This is as clean as it's going to be," Karin muttered. She looked around the house and watched her twin carry two bags of luggage next to her. "You ready?"

Yuzu nodded.

"The taxi should be here soon. Is Hime-nee ready?"

Yuzu calmly waited for a reply and peered curiously at Karin, who looked like she was a million miles away.

"Karin?"

"Huh?"

"I was asking if Hime-nee is ready."

Karin nodded and pushed a certain Shinigami out of her head.

"I think so. Let me go check. Maybe she needs help."

"Call me if you need more help!" Yuzu shouted as Karin practically ran towards Orihime's room.

Yuzu stood patiently and waited for the taxi, occasionally giving a sigh when she heard her sister and their father argue. She gazed tiredly at the destruction around her, and her mind wandered towards the boy called Kakei. There was something familiar about him, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Come on," she whispered impatiently. Where is the taxi?"

She sighed and sat on one of the luggage. She started to block out the faint sound of arguments when something practically swooped her into their arms from where she was sitting. A loud explosion drowned her scream, and all she could see was the color red while someone hastily but gently drop her onto the ground.

"Stay here!" she was ordered.

Because of the cloud, smoke, and debris, Yuzu could just barely make out a red blur and two crows flying away, but she immediately forgot all about the mysterious person when she saw what remained of their house being destroyed again. She tried to scramble to an upright position, but she found herself stuck to the ground, as if an invisible force was keeping her in place. Tears swelled in her eyes as another explosion rocked the ground.

Back at the house, Isshin swore as he sheltered Karin from the explosions. He felt a powerful new reiatsu, one that he did not recognize, and he looked frantically around for Orihime and her son, as well as for Yuzu.

"Karin? Where's your sister?"

"Outside," the dark-haired twin coughed. "She was waiting for the taxi!"

As quickly as it began, the explosion stopped. There was now next to nothing left of their house, or the clinic. He could see the faint glow of Orihime's shield as the dust settled. She looked at them, relief clear in her eyes, and he gave a small nod. The danger had not passed, however, as the reiatsu was still there. Isshin carefully covered his daughter and walked her over to Orihime. As soon as they were close enough, the shield expanded to cover them as well.

"Yuzu-nee! Yuzu-nee!" Sora sobbed.

"Shhh, Sora! Your Yuzu-nee is safe," Orihime whispered, patting his back to soothe and calm him down.

"Isshin-san?"

"I can't see her, but I know she's safe," he replied softly while scanning their surroundings.

"How can you be so sure?" Karin asked with worry.

She looked around wildly, desperate to find a glimpse of her sister.

"I'm impressed, Orihime," a rich, handsome voice said. "I was so sure you lost your powers when you gave birth to your son. It appears, however, that I was wrong."

Orihime, Karin, and Isshin started when they heard the stranger's voice. Sora stopped crying. Isshin drew his zanpakuto and changed his body stance to prepare for a fight. The unfamiliar man dressed in red-hooded robe approached them, followed by five men, all wearing similar outfits to the men Isshin and Hitsugaya fought earlier.

"Who are you?" Karin growled.

The stranger chuckled and stepped closer.

"Feeling a bit aggressive, aren't we?"

Orihime held Sora tighter. She was glad he had stopped crying, but there was something almost unnatural about his silence.

"It's unfortunate that things went this far, all this could have been avoided if you had agreed to come, Hime."

Isshin's eyes widened in surprise when the speaker removed his hood with an ungloved hand. It'd only been for a split second, but it was enough time for him to see the symbol tattooed on the man's hands.

The symbol for those who had long been banished.

"My name is Seishiro. Our clan was banished from Soul Society, years even before you became a Shinigami."

Seishiro glanced at Isshin Kurosaki and was not surprised to see no trace of recognition. The banishment of his clan was long before Kurosaki's time.

"And now, the time is near for my clan to reclaim what is rightfully ours. Soul Society will come under my rule, as it was meant to."

"What does that have to do with Orihime?"

Seishiro chuckled at Isshin's question.

"The great Yamamoto has not informed you?"

Isshin gripped the hilt of his weapon.

"What are you talking about?"

Seishiro's grin grew wider.

"Well, if Yamamoto-sama does not wish to inform you, then who am I to tell?"

Inside the shield, Karin rubbed Sora's back. Ever since this Seishiro had revealed himself, Sora hadn't made a sound. He was looking at their new enemy with an intensity that seemed frightening for a boy as little and young as Sora.

Seishiro knew that the diversion he created to keep the other Shinigami would not delay them forever. They had to make their move now.

"Last chance, Hime," Seishiro smiled, though it looked more like he was baring his teeth. "I'm trying to play nice here. Come with us, and I will spare everyone's life."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Orihime replied, her voice firm and without fear.

Seishiro laughed.

"Be my guest, Hime. Remember, the decision was yours!"

With one slash, Orihime's shield shattered, and Isshin used all his strength and speed to move his family away.

"This fight is mine!" Seishiro commanded his men when Isshin returned to attack.

The eldest Kurosaki matched Seishiro's attacks, but he knew that he couldn't fight Seishiro and protect Karin, Orihime, and Sora at the same time.

As the two of them fought, Orihime began to worry. She didn't know who these new people were, or what exactly they wanted from her. What alarmed her the most was the taunt given by Seishiro earlier.

_"The great Yamamoto has not informed you?"_

Sora began to move restless again, and Orihime tried to soothe her son but to no avail. She held him tighter but froze when she saw something below the nape of Sora's neck.

When Sora was born, there had been no birthmark anywhere on his body. Orihime touched the faint mark in wonder. It looked similar to her beloved hair pins.

"Yaji!"

Sora's worried scream brought Orihime back to the present, and she gasped in horror when she saw the blood dripping from Isshin's arms.

"Daddy!"

Orihime caught Karin's arm before she could move.

"Karin! No!" she ordered.

"Playtime's over!" Seishiro called out and motioned one of his men to come forward. "Kiba!"

The man called Kiba nodded, and Orihime didn't have time to react before a strong wind separated her from Karin. The dust made it hard to keep her eyes open, and she could feel herself getting swept away by the wind. She held Sora in her arms and for one moment, she heard a voice she thought she'd never hear again.

_"Oi, woman, let your son go. We'll take it from here."_

_"Tsu—Tsubaki?!"_  
_  
__"Are you deaf, woman? Trust us, we'll keep him safe!"_

And all of a sudden, she felt the full presence of her Shun Shun Rikka.

_"We'll protect him, Orihime-san!"_ Ayame gently assured her._ "We'll take care of Isshin-san and Karin-san too! Don't worry!"_

Giving her trust to her Shun Shun Rikka, Orihime released Sora and used her hands to steady herself. As soon as her palms hit the ground, the wind stopped, and the dust one again settled. She looked in wonder at Karin and Sora, who were behind a shield, while Isshin was being healed by Ayame and Shun'o.

"I'm even more impressed now, Hime."

Orihime froze when Seishiro knelt down before her, and they came face to face. He was so close, and there was something deep inside of her that wanted to be released, to lash out at this enemy. Seishiro watched in wonder as Orihime's eyes glinted, a spark of gold glittered before disappearing.

"I'm not afraid of you," she voiced serenely.

Before Seishiro could reply, he felt a strong force push him away from Orihime, who remained on the ground. Any ordinary human would have watched Orihime and seen nothing, but he was no human. The dust around Orihime began to swirl, and he knew Orihime's true powers were slowly appearing. Nadeshiko's stunt of jealousy had awoken Orihime's dormant powers, but his presence was further pushing her powers to the surface.

He knew that this was it. If he failed now, he may never get a second chance to win. With no other option but to hurt Orihime in order to force her to come with him, Seishiro made up his mind. He appeared behind her and grabbed her arms.

"Let me go!"

Seishiro smirk at Orihime and leaned closer. His breath teased her ear.

"Not a chance, Hime."

He watched in wonder as the golden glint in her eyes returned, and the smirk disappeared when he felt a strange power course through her body. In that instant, he knew his time was almost up.

Unable to move, Orihime felt a force within her that told her to fight back, but before she could blink, a jolt of electricity paralyzed her, and she screamed. She felt the power inside of her fighting back, but the strength of the electricity grew stronger. Her vision blurred and darkness overcame her.

Seishiro released Orihime, and she collapsed on the ground. He could almost feel victory in his grasp as he prepared to leave with Orihime.

"SEISHIRO!"

Isshin's eyes snapped open. Kakei had returned. He barely noticed Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka when he stood up and watched the young boy. Even with the mask, Isshin could see the raw anger radiating from Kakei. He turned his head slightly, and when saw Orihime lying on the ground unconscious, and immediately he felt the same rage.

Kakei tried to control his emotions. He knew he couldn't make any sudden movements that would endanger his mother.

"What the hell are you doing here, bastard?!"

Seishiro sneered and faced Kakei.

"What took you so long?" he taunted. "I expected you earlier, brat."

"You really thought your stupid stunt was going to keep me from coming?" Kakei retorted as he moved closer.

Seishiro grinned menacingly.

"Just in case you haven't noticed, I've already won!"

Seishiro crouched down and prepared to take Orihime in his arms. Kakei roared in anger and moved towards Seishiro with so much speed and power, the ground he glided over shattered as if it were suffering through an earthquake. Seishiro was barely able to block a bare handed strike from Sora, who hadn't slowed down as he lodged another attack.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!" he roared.

Kakei released his zanpakuto and raised it towards Seishiro, who immediately drew his own sword.

"Koten Zanshun!"

Isshin and Karin shielded their eyes from the blinding light Kakei's attack had emitted. Kakei continued to fight Seishiro, bursts of light searing the air every time their zanpakutos met. It took all of Seishiro's power to dodge the young man's attacks.

_"STAY AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!"_

Sora's words echoed through Isshin's head and suddenly he understood the familiarity he'd felt with Kakei. But how was it possible that the young man currently in the midst of battle and the young baby nestled safely with them were the same person?

Another explosion rocked the earth and shook Isshin out of his memories.

"Did he just...?"

Karin couldn't finish her question as she watched the fight in awe. She'd seen her brother battle, but she'd never seen her brother fight with such intensity and power. Completely entranced in the fight before them, Karin and Isshin failed to notice little Sora leave the shield and crawl walk toward his unconscious mother.

Kakei feigned to the left and saw his younger version. His eyes widened slightly because knew that Seishiro had too. The exiled Shinigami unleashed another electric attack that hit Kakei in the chest, stunning him momentarily, but that was the only opening Seishiro needed. He flew at the helpless child, and Sora willed his body to move faster.

_"I won't make it!"_ he thought frantically.

Before Seishiro was within fifteen feet of Orihime, a figure blocked his path and held a protective stance over the young mother and her son.

Seishiro snarled as he saw the man that came between him and his prize.

"YOU!"

Ichigo Kurosaki kept his zanpakuto raised towards this stranger. He had been away Karakura for so long. He'd thought of a million and one scenarios on what would welcome him on his return, but this was not one of them.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded coldly.

Karin could hardly believe her eyes. Her brother was finally here! She wanted to jump for joy, to run and greet him, but there were too many things going on. He was dressed handsomely in his Shinigami uniform, and he looked taller, a little older. The strength she could sense from him was stronger then when he left.

"Seishiro-sama! The others are here!"

Seishiro glared at Ichigo with all the hatred he possessed.

"I'll be back, Ichigo Kurosaki. You can count on it."

There was a time when Ichigo would've taunted this stranger, caused the fight to go longer, but now, he was older, wiser, and appreciated the tactics behind battles outside of just physical fighting alone.

Seishiro disappeared along with his men, and Ichigo came face to face with a masked stranger who regarded him with complete loathing.

"About time you showed up," Kakei muttered angrily at his unknowing father.

Ichigo ignored the masked stranger and looked curiously at the orange haired baby that had curled up beside Orihime's unconscious body.

Baby Sora smiled at Ichigo and gurgled happily. He began to wiggle and grabbed a fist of his mother's hair.

"Ichi-nii?"

Before Ichigo could move, Karin wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and cried, "You came back!"

Isshin sighed as he watched Karin sob quietly. Ichigo put a comforting hand on his sister's head.

"Ichi-nii, is that really you?" Yuzu said with tears in her eyes.

She approached her family cautiously, completely unscathed.

"Yuzu! What happened to you?" Isshin asked urgently.

Even though he knew she was safe, he had still worried during her short disappearance. He ran to her and enveloped her in a big hug.

"I don't know. I was waiting for the taxi, and then I was just…carried away."

"By who?" Isshin inquired gently.

Yuzu shook her head and said, slightly confused, "I don't know. All I saw was this red blur..."

"Did he have a pair of crows with him?" Kakei asked softly.

Yuzu nodded and wondered why Kakei swore.

"Do you know who he was, Kakei-kun?"

At her question, both Karin and Isshin looked at Kakei, who they now knew was Sora. They both looked at each other and wondered how to approach the issue with this grown up Sora.

"What the hell happened here?!" Ichigo demanded. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask, but the most important was Orihime, and that baby who kept on laughing at him. "Who is this?"

Kakei glared at Ichigo as he watched his father point at his younger self.

"If you ever considered others and stopped leaving all the damn time, you'd know!"

Before Ichigo could reply, Isshin stepped in between the father and son.

"Karin, why don't you take Yuzu and Kakei-kun somewhere for a walk?" he suggested.   
"I'm sure Kakei-kun has many things he wishes to say."

Karin nodded Isshin gave Kakei a stern nod. Knowing that he did have many explanations to give, he followed Isshin's orders and walked off with the twins. Isshin gazed at his daughters and grandson, and he felt a deep sense of pride, having a glimpse of what Sora would grow up to be.

Once the trio disappeared from sight, Isshin crouched down and gave a playful tap on Sora's head.

"Sora-chan, meet your father. Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise.

"Dad? What…what do you mean?"

"Ichigo," Isshin said patiently, "this is your son Sora."

Sora giggled and he watched Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka hover protectively around them. He absently grabbed at them with this little hands. Isshin looked up and thanked his healers, who smiled and waved in return. Ichigo followed his father's gaze and frowned.

"Oi, what about Orihime? Aren't you going to do anything for her?"

"She's fine, idiot. Did you think we'll just fly around here if she was in danger?" Tsubaki snapped and hovered closer to Ichigo's face. "About time you showed—aaarrgghhh!"

Tsubaki never had the chance to finish what he was going to say because Sora grabbed him by the leg and stuck his foot inside his mouth. Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, Lily and Shun'o cried out in horror and pleaded for Sora to let Tsubaki go. Sora took Tsubaki out of his mouth but kept a firm hold on his legs. He smiled brightly and giggled.

"YOU!!! I save your life and this is how you treat me?" Tsubaki yelled, utterly affronted, and was only rewarded with Sora's laughter.

"Wha...what happened?"

Orihime slowly moved as she regained further consciousness, and Ichigo knelt down by her in worry.

"Orihime, are you all right?" he asked softly and cradled her head.

Orihime slowly opened her eyes and came face to face with the man that's been in her dreams since he'd left all that time ago. Unsure if he was real or not, she slowly raised her hands and touched his face, afraid that he would disappear. He didn't.

Ichigo held her hands in his, one on his face, the other over his heart.

"You're here," she whispered. "You're real."

She felt her heart leap with joy.

"I promised you I'd return," he replied softly and wiped her tears away. "I'm home, Orihime."

TbC

phew Well, there you have it. Ichigo's back. Why did he leave? That's for another chapter 

Thank you so much for all your comments, I really appreciate them. A big applause for EternalDream AKA AngelCat HellFire, for being the best beta ever!


	6. Interlude 1 Ichigo's Reason

The Ties That Bind

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Interlude: Ichigo's Reason

The war with Aizen had ended.

Soul Society and Karakura Town had been defended from the devastating hoards of hollows and Arrancar from Hueco Mundo.

This was supposed to be a victory for the many Shinigami that had fought courageously to save both worlds, despite loosing some of their own.

For Ichigo Kurosaki, victory meant nothing. Not when the girl in his arms had ceased breathing.

It was her sacrifice that gave them victory. A sweet, innocent girl, who had never born to fight, died to stop the war that had already consumed so many lives.

Ichigo Kurosaki had promised to her that he would protect her without fail.

"Ichigo?"

He didn't turn around to acknowledge Rukia, who stood behind him, her Shinigami uniform in tatters and bruises on her face.

"Leave."

His voice was cold and distant, and he paid no attention to the crowd that gathered behind him. Not Rukia, not Renji, not Shinji. Not even his own father. No one matter to him right now except for the pale, cold, young woman in his arms.

To call her merely "beautiful" would have been a grave insult to her. There were no words that could describe her with deserved justice. He continued to look at her face, desperately willing her to wake up. To open her beautiful eyes to look at him. To speak to him again with her soft, melodious voice.

The Shun Shun Rikka floated near their princess, all at a loss for words. They were there, but they won't be for long. They were slowly disappearing, their bodies becoming transparent, fading away into oblivion.

"Heal her," he demanded quietly.

Ayame and Shun'ō looked at each other sadly. Baigon, Lily, Hinagiku, and Tsubaki were silent, and none of them could meet Ichigo's desperate eyes.

"Heal her," he repeated, his voice harsh as he looked at Ayame and Shun'ō.

"We can't," said Ayame her voice filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun."

"Our powers died the moment she…" Shun'ō couldn't finish her sentence. "Soon, we will fade away with her."

"Don't blame yourself, baka!" Tsubaki yelled. "It was her decision to make, and this is the path she chose!"

Ichigo tightened his hold on the woman in his arms. For the first time since he'd picked up her serene, lifeless form, he looked away and turned his attention to Tsubaki.

The little fairy-like creature closed his eyes and said calmly, "She wouldn't want to see you like this. Don't throw her sacrifice away..."

---

Ichigo's eyes opened, his heart beating a thousand miles a minute. Beads of sweat rolled off his forehead, and he quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand. He could hear the faint thump of the music further down the road from Orihime's apartment. A young woman lay beside him, and he traced his hands lightly over the soft skin of her back. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, spooning their naked bodies closer together. He was unwilling to leave her side, especially after experiencing such a horrible dream.

The nightmares had started around a month ago. Over and over, he saw Orihime die before him, and each time he was never able to protect her. She was always, always in danger because of him. Aizen would never have come after her if it hadn't been for him.

If it hadn't been for him…

He took a deep breath and assured himself that he was making the right decision. It was the only way to protect her, and the only way he could learn more about the hollow inside of himself, along with the emerging powers within him that not even Yamamoto could, or would, if that were the case, explain. Shinji had made a deal with him. Join the Vizards, and they would help him further understand and control his hollow. But to do all that, he had to leave her. He had to leave Orihime. He hated himself for it, but it was the only way to keep her safe.

"Ichigo-kun?"

He opened his eyes and watched Orihime rub her eyes sleepily. He kissed the back of her neck and felt his heart beat faster when she turned around slightly to smile at him.

"I feel like having red bean jelly and chili beans," she said and yawned.

Ichigo blinked, unsure of what he heard.

Orihime wrapped her arms tightly around him, snuggling as close as she could, and Ichigo could swear his heart was beating so loudly that Orihime would be able to hear it.

"Ne, Ichigo-kun…are you okay?"

Ichigo looked down and met Orihime's concerned eyes. He had to tell her good-bye, such simple words they were, but he couldn't find it in himself to do it. And he hated himself all the more for it.

Shaking his head, he let his thoughts be consumed with Orihime. Her laugh, her smile, her eyes, how she felt against him, and how his name sounded from her lips. This would be the last night for a long time to come that he'd have the pleasure of indulging in such wonderful gifts.

"I'm fine," he whispered.

He could tell she didn't believe him, her eyes always did betray her emotions after all, but Orihime simply gave him a nod of understanding and then a soft kiss on the lips.

She yawned again, and Ichigo watched her until she fell asleep. He memorized every line of her face, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the curve of her neck, the way she inhaled deeply in her slumber, the lush plumpness of her beautiful lips, her dark lashes. He would never get enough of her rare, exquisite beauty, but this last memory was all he would have of her in the months, and possibly years, to come.

He had some doubts and wondered if his plan to join the Vizards would solve all his problems, but at the moment, there was no other option he could think of. His training had remained the same, he could feel no progress being made, and his hollow was growing stronger every day. Deep inside him, the hollow's voice was constantly growing louder, echoing through his thoughts and making him do things unconsciously.

_It would be so much easier if you just give up, King_, it sneered with dark humor.

Ichigo gritted his teeth and ignored his hollow. He gazed at Orihime lovingly when he suddenly felt a strange reiatsu. He untangled himself from Orihime and sat up carefully, doing his best not to wake her up. He looked around, his eyebrows knit together in concentration. There was no one around her apartment but the two of them, he was sure of it. The reiatsu was faint, but he could feel no threat from it. In fact, it was almost calming, and Ichigo felt something twinge in his heart when he tried to reach out for it but failed.

"Stupid hollow," Ichigo muttered, ignoring the reiatsu and blamed his hollow for the strange feeling.

"Love you, Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo's eyes snapped down to Orihime.

She'd spoken so quietly he'd almost missed it, and her eyes were still closed. It was clear she was still sleeping.

Immense guilt bubbled to the surface again and threatened to consume him. This time, it was harder to push the feeling down, especially after what they'd done this night.

"I'm doing the right thing."

His voice was firm, but even his hollow was laughing at the lie he's just uttered.

_You damn fool_, it said in disgust. _You really believe this will solve all your problems_?

An image of Orihime's bloody, lifeless body flashed before his eyes and Ichigo flinched.

Yes, he was definitely doing the right thing.

Swallowing, he looked at her again, and tried to commit this Orihime to his memory, this young woman that was a live and well, and not the pale, dead woman of his dreams.

He closed his eyes and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I'll come back, Orihime. I promise."

He carefully eased himself out of her bed and covered her with their blanket. He dressed quietly and quickly, never taking his eyes off of her until he turned and padded silently toward her window. His hands gripped the windowsill harder than necessary. He looked back one last time, and as much as he wanted to return to Orihime, to hold her tightly and bury his face in her hair, he knew it was going to be better this way.

With a deep breath, he jumped out of the window and ran as fast as he could, far away from Karakura Town and Orihime. The whole time his heart and mind screamed one thing, and one thing alone.

"I love you, Orihime."

--

ED, have I ever told you how much I owe you:)


	7. Chapter 5

The Ties That Binds

Chapter 6

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Once again, a huge and wonderful thankyou to EternalDream

-0-0-0

There was silence in the hall Seishiro walked through. His cold anger could be felt by many of his subordinates as they watched their leader enter the War Room. The air was suffocating and electrified, as if lightening were about to strike.

Inside, Seishiro lashed his anger out on the wall. Kusanagi winced and watched the wall crumbled under the force of the impact.

"It seems you have committed the same mistake Nadeshiko was foolish enough to."

Both Kusanagi and Seishiro turned around to see Jiro walk in the war room.

"The fifth seal has been broken. If we continue to go about our business the way we are doing it now, Soul Society will soon discover this place."

Seishiro did not speak. Jiro leaned against the table and eyed his brother critically. He could sense the way his brother was trying to calm down, to banish the anger he had felt at Kurosaki's appearance, and he couldn't help but give his elder sibling an amused smirk.

"You went there knowing Ichigo Kurosaki was on his way. Were you once again blinded by her beauty?"

Seishiro chose to ignore the question as he sat down and glared at his younger brother.

"Where were you?"

"I had a job to do. The seals Mamoru created are growing weaker."

"They would not be a problem if Mamoru had chosen to cooperate from the very beginning."

"I suppose then, that he did not inform you that he took a trip to Karakura?"

"If I ever find out what that brother of ours is up to—"

"You'd do what?"

The voice behind them was pure steel.

All three of them looked sharply at the door as Mamoru walked in. Kusanagi, sensing another round of sibling clashes, politely excused himself. Mamoru was as tall as his brothers, His long hair tied tightly on the nape oh his neck, his green eyes challenged his eldest brother as he sat down.

"You were saying?"

"You've heard of the fifth seal?" Seishiro asked smoothly, all traces of anger disappearing behind a carefully mastered mask of calm.

Mamoru nodded and waited impatiently for his brother to continue.

"Then you're fully aware the risk of our home being invaded by Soul Society?"

"Are you aware that it is you who are exposing our people, our home, to being invaded by Soul Society?!" Mamoru viciously threw the question back. "Your actions have started this war, Seishiro. Your actions have cost us many men and will cost us more if you keep holding on to your illusions."

"Soul Society belongs to our clan—!"

Mamoru just shook his head.

"It is no longer ours to claim. Our clan forfeited that claim when they betrayed the Royal Family."

"Yamamoto claimed Soul Society as his own. I am simply taking back what rightfully belongs to the family. Our family."

"Are you?" Mamoru demanded. "Or are you still under the delusion that you can claim that woman as your own?" Any satisfaction he might have felt seeing his brother's momentarily shocked face was soured in knowing that his brother was far too stubborn and prideful to listen to him.

The anger that Seishiro felt returned as he stood up and slammed his fists on the table.

"This war would have long been over had you played your part, Mamoru!"

Mamoru shook his head again, slower this time.

"I have told you from the beginning, Seishiro. You and Jiro will go to this war without me. I have protected this place from being detected by Soul Society, and that is all I will do."

Jiro and Mamoru did not even flinch when Seishiro stormed out of the war room, his anger now even stronger after the fight with Mamoru. Kusanagi reappeared by his leader and followed Seishiro to his quarters.

"Kusanagi! Have my brother followed. I want to know what Mamoru is up to!"

Kusanagi nodded as Seishiro slammed the door to his quarters.

Back in the war room, Jiro shook his head at his youngest brother.

"Seishiro is right. With your power combined with ours, Soul Society would have been defeated."

"Are you sure?" Mamoru asked. "Can you honestly say you know the full extent of Sora Kurosaki's power?"

With a sigh, Jiro slumped on his chair.

"This war had gone on long enough."

The younger brother frowned disapprovingly.

"This war should never have happened in the first place."

"No, it should have. Our clan was supposed to lead Soul Society. It was our right. We never betrayed the Royal Family. They betrayed us."

Mamoru looked at his brother whose startling green eyes glittered with suppressed anger.

"Why won't you join the war? This is our clan, our family, we are fighting for!"

"I am keeping them alive, am I not?!"

"Seishiro is right! With your power with us, we would have won!"

"Sora Kurosaki destroyed an entire army in one strike. He was barely fifteen years old! How much power do you think he has now? We have lived in peace. Hell, we live right now in absolute comfort. Even more than those in Rungokai!"

"Why do you think Seishiro has chosen to use the time-gate?" When Mamoru did not answer, Jiro continued. "Taking the woman will solve all our problems. We all know the only reason Sora fights for Soul Society is because of his mother. If we have her, Sora will be ours to control!"

"Just in case you haven't realized, oh genius brother of mine, that 'plan' has since caused us more damage than necessary."

"The gate was coordinated incorrectly and linked us to the wrong time. We can't fix it now; it would take too long. We have a better chance of launching another attack to take that woman."

"Ichigo Kurosaki has returned. Sora Kurosaki is still in that time. You would have to go through both of them, and likely their friends as well—who, might I remind you, have also obtained formidable powers—before you could ever had a chance of reaching Orihime Kurosaki."

Jiro stood up, knowing his brother would not be swayed into actively joining the war effort.

"There is always a way, Mamoru," he said with finality.

Mamoru closed his eyes and listened to his brother's loud footsteps as he walked away. When he was certain that he was alone, he stood and quickly vacated the room. He hated being in there. Hated that the room existed at all.

As he traveled through the hall, he could feel the way all the people around him trembled in fear over what had transpired. Seishiro had always been cool, smooth, and always in control. For him to display such fury brought much uncertainty and fear in their palace.

He continued at a brisk pace until he reached his favorite spot in the garden, far in the corner where no one would bother him. He sat on the marble bench and leaned against the wall. The sunlight was more then welcome on his face, even more so now, knowing he would need all the peace and rest he could get to create another seal.

He heard a familiar flutter as he reached for his locket.

Two crows perched on each of his shoulders as he opened the locket and gazed at the smiling face of Yuzu Kurosaki.

-0-0-0

In the city next to Karakura, Yuzu Kurosaki sat in silence as she contemplated everything Sora had revealed to them, though there were more questions than answers. The young man refused to elaborate further, other than to say he was here to protect his mother. Divulging too much information would only endanger them, and as much as Yuzu wanted to know and understand the situation more, she knew in her heart that Sora was not lying, that whatever he kept from them he was doing it in their best interest.

Karin, however seemed to want more.

"So you really can't say anything more than that?"

Sora winced. His aunt was just as relentless when she was younger.

"Karin-nee, you know I can't tell you everything. The future has already changed; we may still be winning the war, but..."

"Knowing too much will just put us in even more danger," Karin finished before taking a sip of her tea. "So, tell us more about this 'Seishiro' guy. He wants Hime-nee because…why, exactly?"

Sora's face darkened.

"Who knows what that bastard wants my mother for."

"Why did the war happen? How did it start?"

Both Karin and Sora turned in surprise at Yuzu, who spoke for the first time since she found out everything. It was Karin who kept asking question after question, while Yuzu had sat quietly, absorbing all the information.

"At first, Soul Society thought it was just a small disturbance in Rungokai. A few lower level Shinigami were dispatched, and they were killed, their bodies deposited by the gates of the academy. During that time, I... we... we were still living here in Karakura when strange things suddenly started happening. Rukia-san thought it was Aizen again, but she was wrong. Urahara-san brought us to Soul Society to keep us safe, and that was when Seishiro launched his first attack on Soul Society."

Sora paused and took a deep breath before he continued.

"They were so many soldiers. They were all dressed in red, similar to the Shinigami uniform. Until that time, I'd never taken my powers seriously. There was no need to. One of Seishiro's men stormed the fourth division quarters, where my mother was, helping those who had been wounded. I don't know how she did it since, well, they told me her powers receded when I was born. But it was like, she was getting them back again. Half of the fourth division's head quarters was destroyed…and I…I can't explain it. But I knew my mother was there, trapped, possibly alone and hurting, and I just…I just snapped."

Both Yuzu and Karin held their breaths, knowing one wrong word out of them could end up in their nephew claming up on them and refusing to tell them any more of what happened.

Sora continued, his eyes clouding as if he was seeing everything again.

"I could hear someone saying my name, telling me that they were here to protect me, that I just needed to call them. That was the first time I used Tsubaki."

"The Shun Shun Rikka," Yuzu said softly, and Sora nodded.

"I don't know how I did it, but I forced them to retreat. They've never managed to come near Soul Society again. They've been trying, but my mother has kept them at bay."

"Is that how you became a Shinigami?" Karin wondered aloud, chills creeping up her spine having heard Sora's story.

There was a flash of anger in Sora's face.

"No, I'm not a Shinigami, nor will I be one!"

"A Vaizard, then?"

Sora shook his head to answer Karin again.

"No." He paused. "I don't know exactly what I am. I don't train with either. I'm only doing what I do to protect my mother."

"What about Ichi-nii? Is he going to be alright?"

Both sisters became alarmed at the sudden hostility that washed over Sora's face.

"He's fine, I guess. He has a habit of disappearing, even when you need him the most."

Yuzu and Karin looked at each other, unsure of what to say next.

"Well, he's here now. Maybe this time he won't leave anymore," Yuzu said softly, wanting to appease her beloved nephew.

The young man just muttered something under his breath that neither sister heard. Karin looked out of the window of the restaurant they were at and looked at the setting sun in surprise. She hadn't realized how quickly time flew.

"We probably should meet them at the hotel now. Daddy will probably be worried if we don't get there soon."

Yuzu nodded in agreement and was about to stand when Sora called her attention.

"Yes, Sora-chan?"

"That man who saved you. Did you get a good look at him?"

She nodded.

"You've never seen him before, right?" he pressed urgently.

"No, I haven't." Yuzu replied. She was relieved Sora had brought the subject up. She felt as if she could finally ask about that stranger. "Who is he? Is he a friend of ours?"

Sora's face darkened as he placed his hands on Yuzu's.

"No. He's one of them, Yuzu-nee. Whatever he says, he will always be one of them. You can't trust him."

"But Sora-chan, he saved my life!"

"I still can't trust him. None of us can trust him. He is the youngest brother of Seishiro. I don't know what his motives are, but you have to trust me, Yuzu-nee. This man is dangerous."

"Do you know his name?" Yuzu asked, and Sora looked as if he was debating if he should answer her question.

"His name is Mamoru," he finally replied, choosing not to reveal who he really was to her. "He's the man who will kill you."

End Chapter

A/N...

Well, I'm back! Slowly getting back to the groove! Thank you for your patience and please, review! Your reviews could steer me in the right direction!


	8. Interlude  Mamoru and Yuzu

As always, a big thank you to my beta EternalDream for being fantastic.

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Interlude: Mamoru and Yuzu.

The bustling city crowd didn't please Mamoru one bit. Above him, his guardian crows flew above him, unseen by the humans that surrounded them. He walked briskly away until he reached the park that was free from the crowd that he disliked.

He was fond of Japan, and Tokyo had its good point. This park was one of them. He walked towards his favorite spot, a big sakura tree that beckoned him with its shade. With a few hand seals, he made himself invisible from any possible prying eyes. He leaned against the tree and enjoyed the feel of the grass beneath his body and the sweet smell of the Sakura flowers surrounding him. He felt at peace, and he knew that he needed to savour this feeling. In three months, they were going to launch a full scale attack on Soul Society, and after that, there would be no turning back.

"Do these belong to you?"

The shy voice surprised him, and he looked incredulously at the young woman who stood almost beside him, his crows perched on her shoulders. No one should have been able to see his crows _or_ him. No normal human could. A small spike of reiatsu from the small woman caught his attention, but it should have been too weak for her to have been able to see him.

Rather than answering her, he asked demandingly, "Who are you?"

His senses were on high alert as he studied the girl before him, his mind already calculating how he can fight her, if necessary.

His crows squawked at him, as if berating him for his harsh attitude.

"Ah! Pardon my rudeness. I'm Yuzu. Yuzu Kurosaki. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but well... your pets..." She gestured helplessly to them.

Her surname startled him even more than her presence had. Mamoru musted a calm look on his face and nodded his head as he slowly stood up as brushed the dry grass that clung to his pants. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be rude. You took me by surprise, that's all. My name is Mamoru Taira." He bowed before her and she did the same. His senses remained alert for any possible attack, and once again, his crows squawked in displeasure.

"Phobos, Deimos. Come here."

His crows had always been obedient, had always came at his command, but this time, they defied him. Both crows fluttered their wings slightly when he called their names again and stayed on their new perch. He watched as a tiny smile formed on Yuzu's lips.

"Phobos and Deimos? The moons of Mars?"

Mamoru nodded. "Aa. They were a gift from my grandfather." Was the young woman playing a game? Pretending to be unaware of his true nature?

"They're very beautiful, and healthy. You take very good care of them."

Mamoru could only nod, his mind reeling again as he tried to mentally seek an explanation on how someone with such a weak reiatsu could see him and his crows. But every time he looked into her eyes and glance at the sweet smile on her face, he found himself unable to think. She was not a Shinigami, that was certain. He tried to rack his brain for anything from the intelligence report on her brother, Ichigo Kurosaki, and in the back of his mind, he finally remembered a small tidbit of information in regards to a younger twin sister named Yuzu.

Phobos finally flew from Yuzu's right shoulder and perched himself on Mamoru's own right shoulder, but before he settled down, he made sure to peck at Mamoru's face slightly. Mamoru didn't even wince as he took something from his pockets and offered it to Phobos, who immediately ate the food he offered. He reached into his pocket again and extended some of the food to Deimos, but the crow ignored him and nuzzled close to Yuzu's neck.

"They're still upset with me," he murmured as Phobos continued to eat from his hands. No attack seemed to be coming from Yuzu, and he could sense no other presence within the vicinity. He couldn't make sense of the situation. What was her aim? "My apologies if they have disturbed you, Kurosaki-san."

"No, not at all. I always go for a walk during my lunch break from work. It's always good to have fresh air after sitting in an office all day."

"You work around the area?" he inquired politely, deciding it would be prudent to gain more information on what her motives were for talking to him.

"I work at the veterinary clinic down the corner. Mostly paperwork, but I hope I start working with animals soon."

"You wish to be a veterinarian?" he asked in surprise. He was fairly certain the reports on the Kurosaki family mentioned a hospital clinic for humans.

Yuzu nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to become a nurse. My dad is a doctor. But..." her words trailed off as she looked lost for a moment before shaking her head. "Anyway, I thought working with animals would be a good."

Still totally unable to discern what her true motives were, Mamoru quickly formed his hands in a series of seals while her head was turned away. In less than a second, Yuzu Kurosaki stood before him, hidden from the rest of the humans in the park as he began to read her mind. Before he could press any further past some loving thoughts of her family and a brief glance at some old pain, Deimos flew in front of him and flapped his wings, causing his spell to break.

Yuzu, completely unaware of what just happened, began to laugh. "Oh my... perhaps Deimos is hungry too?"

Mamoru watched Deimos fly in circles above their heads before readying himself to land back onto Yuzu's shoulder. Before he settled down, he voiced his displeasure to Mamoru with a loud squawk. Mamoru narrowed his eyes as he held up more seeds for Deimos who just shook his head and nuzzled close to Yuzu's neck again.

"Perhaps he would like you to feed him, Kurosaki-san. I seem to have displeased him quite well today."

Yuzu laughed as she accepted the seeds from Mamoru, and Deimos quickly ate from the palm of her hands.

Mamoru studied Deimos, who briefly glanced at him before looking away, almost in a haughty manner. Deimos had never defied him before, and thinking back to his brief mental hold over the young Kurosaki, he finally realized that she was showing no malice or even knowledge of who he was. She had no plots or plans against him.

Yuzu laughed, and Mamoru was again transfixed by the happy smile this Kurosaki girl offered his crow. "Mou, Deimos-kun. You should be apologize to Taira-san. That wasn't very nice."

Deimos brushed rubbed his wings against Yuzu in response before flying over to Mamoru to do the same.

"I accept your apology," Mamoru said softly, and he was rewarded with a nod from Deimos.

"I guess you're all friends again," Yuzu commented cheerfully. Phobos and Deimos squawked agreeably before flying away, and Yuzu returned her attention to Mamoru. "It was good to meet you, Taira-kun."

Mamoru bowed in response as Yuzu gave him another smile before walking away.

Despite his earlier glimpse of her innocence, Mamoru made it a point to be in the park the next day. She was still a Kurosaki. It was well known how powerful their family was, and it would've been easy for her to use a kido designed to protect her mind from spells that he had cast.

A month later, he was still not fully convinced of her innocence even when Yuzu met him in the park on a bright, sunny day with a picnic basket in hand and shared her lunch with him. Despite a strange flutter in his heart, his mind chose to stay sharp, unwilling to bring down the barriers he had created.

Not even a kiss made him believe there was nothing that Yuzu Kurosaki wanted from him, that she wasn't hiding something from him deep inside. Her loving response to his kiss almost made him loose his resolve, to finally believe that she was truly, fully innocent, but he resisted. During that second month, her gift of a locket was accepted, yet held in suspicion for any spells that may be used as a tracking device.

It was not until the third month when she lay still in his arms as she breathed her last that he realised _he_ was the one this entire time who had had unhonorable intentions. She had given him her heart despite the short time they'd had to get to know one another. She had truly loved him...he could hear her thoughts as her body ceased to live. They were full of love and regret for him and for her family.

Sora Kurosaki roared in anger in front of him, and Mamoru barely registered what the young man was saying beyond demanding to know why he had killed his aunt. Mamoru could only look at the young boy, and he offered the truth in his response.

"Because I love her."

End Interlude


	9. Chapter 6

This fic would not have been possible if it wasn't for the best beta ever: EternalDream!

The Ties that Binds  
Standard Disclaimers Apply

Chapter 6

New York, two days ago.

It took all of Ishida Uryuu's self control not to roll his eyes as the woman his father chose for him as a fiancé continued to rattle on about the latest designer clothes she saw during her trip to New York's Fashion Week.

_After all these years, he's still punishing me_, Uryuu thought as he watched Ryuken Ishida speak with Ayame Nakamura's father.

"Uryuu, did you hear what I just said?"

Uryuu raised an eyebrow at his fiancé as he made a move to push his glasses up his nose. Only, he realized he no longer had glasses to adjust. He'd had his eyes operated on just a few short weeks ago, so the action was more of a familiar, comforting habit than anything else. Still, it was embarrassing to be caught doing that, and his hand slid awkwardly back to his side.

"I used to do that too when I first got rid of my specks," Ayame confessed with a cute, small smile before pushing a few strands of blond hair away from her face. "So, will you come with me?" At her fiancé's blank expression, Ayame sighed. "To Vera Wang's boutique. I made an appointment for Saturday morning."

"My apologies Ayame, but I have to study for my exams," Uryuu said, and whatever Ayame had to say was stopped when Ryuken motioned for the pair to join him inside an office.

Uryuu was pleased with the distraction as he offered his arms to Ayame. She grinned as she placed her arms around his, and they made their way to speak with their fathers.

"Uryuu-kun, I'm so glad that you're finally been able to join us," Takeo Nakamura said as he shook his future son-in-law's hands.

"Uryuu has been studying nonstop. He's determined to get a placement at John Hopkins when the time arrives," Ayame bragged for him, and if Uuryu was surprised that she was able to remember what he'd told her, he didn't show it.

"He's always shown great promise, especially when he chooses to use the path he was meant to take."

Uuryu understood Ryuken's words pertained more towards medicine than anything else, but before he could offer a crisp reply, a blinding light assaulted his eyesight, and he fell to the ground unable to breathe as a vast power both crushed and hugged him.

_"You will not hurt my child!"_

If the powerful spiritual pressure alone hadn't been enough to render him breathless, the voice of Orihime Inoue sure would have. He was sure he had just heard her…the last time he'd felt this sensation was during Ichigo's final battle with Aizen. Orihime had unleashed her Shun Shun Rikka with so much strength, he had felt practically suffocated, the force was so strong, yet at the same time, it had held a distinct warmth and gentleness that was signature to Orihime.

As his vision cleared, he was finally began to hear Ayame's panicked voice, and his father's face came into focus.

"Are you alright?" Takeo replied worriedly as Ryuken assisted his son to stand up.

"He'll be alright. Perhaps he needs to make sure he doesn't study too hard at the expense of his wellbeing." Ryuken replied. "Uryuu?"

"I'm fine, I just lost my balance." The lie came out easily even after all these years after high school. Those days had trained him well. A thought came to him. An almost dangerous thought. He bowed respectfully to everybody in the room and then hesitantly added, "I...I might return to my room earlier than expected."

"Of course," Takeo nodded. "I hope you get some rest. Ayame, please show Uryuu-kin to his room. Ryuken and I need to finish a business proposal."

As soon as the two left the room, Ryuken and Takeo glanced out of the window. Had Uryuu not fallen to the ground when he had, he would've noticed that the two men had looked up in surprise the same moment the blinding light overwhelmed him.

Inside his room, Uryuu's palms started to sweat. He looked at the cell phone lying on the bed and paced around the room some more. Making a decision, he sat down, grabbed the phone, and quickly dialed a number only to change his mind and stop half way. He tossed the phone back onto his bed. As he stood up, Orihime's voice rang in her ears.

_"You will not hurt my child!"_

After Aizen's defeat, he had turned away from his friends and accepted a scholarship his father had set up for him to study medicine abroad. He'd made a point not to keep in contact with any of his old friends once he'd made a choice to follow the path his father wanted for him. The war was over, and there was no need for a Quincy to hang around Karakura Town. Especially after he nearly got Tatsuki Arisawa killed…

He let his mind drift briefly back to the past. His loyalty had been divided between his duty as a Quincy and his love for his friends. Ultimately, he had chosen to walk away from them, and by the time he'd realized his mistake, Arisawa was seconds away from being killed by Ichimaru. It was only Keigo and Mizuiro's effort to distracting the renegade Shinigami that Ishida had gotten an opening and was able to counterattack and save his classmate.

He clenched his fist and forced the shameful memories away. Orihime's words worried him. He didn't know how or why he had felt that sensation all the way in America, but whatever was happening in Karakura Town, it was bad. And he didn't have to be a genius to figure out that if Orihime ever would have had a child, the father would be Ichigo. If Aizen had returned, Uryuu was certain the exiled Shinigami would stop at nothing to get to Orihime and her child, if nothing else than to punish Ichigo for defeating him.

The Quincy's eyes zeroed in on the cell again. He hesitantly picked it up and dialed one of the phone numbers he still remembered even after years of disuse. This time, he completed the number, pressed SEND, and waited for someone to pick it up.

The phone just continued to ring, and once he realized there would be no answer, he ended the call and quickly dialed another number—the one he should have dialed first. In the back of his mind, he knew Arisawa as the best one to call and the easiest to find. Chad would be in Mexico, and he had no knowledge of what orphanage his old friend was living and working in. He'd chosen not to call either Mizuiro or Keigo and potentially endanger them, as they were both without any powers.

He used his phone to connect to directory assistance in England and hoped that the information his mind retained was accurate. There was a small memory of Arisawa in her karate uniform proudly informing their little group of her scholarship to study in London. He'd deleted the text right after he'd gotten it, but the happy words were burned into his memory.

"Yes, I would like to get a number for Tatsuki Arisawa...in London, England, I believe..." Ishida grabbed a pen from the table and wrote the number on his wrist. "Thank you."

He closed his eyes and debated if he should go through with this. His father would be livid, but could he really forgive himself knowing his friends were in danger, and he did nothing about it? _Again_? Decision made, his fingers dialled the numbers written on his wrist, and after the fifth ring, a voice answered the call.

"Arisawa?"

In her studio flat in London, Tatsuki could only stare at the phone. It'd been years since she'd last hear his voice, but she recognized it instantly. "Ishida? Where are you?"

"New York."

As expected, Tatsuki accepted his answer and didn't resort to any unnecessary small talk. "You felt it too, huh?"

"I did," he said. He sat on the bed and looked at his wrist, overcome by a sense of nostalgia. The Quincy medallion hanging there reminding him of his high school days even more. "Is Inoue-san alright?"

"I don't know. I've dialled her phone, her father's, the twins'... nothing. I'm guessing you heard it too?"

Uryuu nodded. "A child?"

"A son," Tatsuki replied with a soft smile. "Sora Kurosaki. You should see him, Ishida! He looks exactly like Ichigo, except for his eyes!"

At the mention of the substitute Shinigami's name, Uryuu stood up. "I never felt his reiatsu," he realized.

There was a slight intake of breath before he heard a response.

"We don't know where Ichigo is. He disappeared before Orihime found out that she was pregnant. Which, by the way…you would know had you stayed in touch!" At his silence, Arisawa took another deep breath. She hadn't been able to help the snippy reply, but it was still uncalled for. "Sorry, Ishida..."

"Don't worry about it," Uryuu responded. "When will you arrive in Japan?"

"About to book my flight. I just need to have this massive headache disappear. Where are you heading first when you get back?"

"I'll be flying into Tokyo and from there rent a car to drive to Karakura. In the meantime, you should get some rest. I'll see you at Urahara's. I'm assuming that we'll be meeting everybody there."

"See you, Ishida."

"Aa. Watch your back, Arisawa."

"I will; you too." She paused for a moment. "And Ishida?"

"Yes?"

"It was good to hear from you."

Ishida never had a chance to reply; she had ended the call. With a sigh, he tossed his phone onto the bed and looked out of the window before closing his eyes. It'd been too long since he last used his Quincy powers. If he was going to face Aizen again, he needed to be ready.

Just outside his door, he never noticed the faint presence of Ayame. She hadn't meant to snoop initially, but she hadn't been able to help herself once she heard him start talking on the phone. She was jealous that her fiancé would drop everything for someone in Japan when he wouldn't even spend a morning with her.

Decision made, she took her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number.

"Hello? I'd like the first flight tomorrow to Japan please...to Tokyo."

Karakura Town, present time.

Isshin, along with his daughters and Sora, ate quietly. He could sense there was something that was troubling the trio, but he made a decision to let it slide until they arrive at Urahara's store. The four of them sat inside the hotel room and chose to order room service instead of eating out. As Isshin watched the older Sora, he couldn't help but feel so proud of his grown grandson.

Sora continued to eat quietly, not knowing how or if he should even bother trying to explain his identity to Urahara.

Breaking the silence, Isshin cleared his throat before speaking. "So, I guess we have to prepare for another war?"

Sora nodded. "They couldn't beat us, so I guess they decided to come here and try to win here instead."

"There's been no information about who they are?"

"All Yamamoto said was that their clan was banished for betraying the Royal Family. He wouldn't go into detail."

"You sound like you don't believe him."

"I don't," Sora replied. "The old man will only tell you what he wants you to know, when he wants you to know."

Isshin knew too well the truth in Sora's words. "So, who else is here?"

Sora refused to meet his grandfather's eyes. "Just me, I'm the only one who's been born, so I'm safest."

Isshin accepted his explanation with a nod. "So…I guess you can't tell me if you're going to have some brothers or sisters?"

Sora's nape turned red as he shook his head, and Isshin grinned at Sora's discomfort.

"Any babies for my daughters?"

Both Yuzu and Karin protested loudly at their father, who just laughed as they tried to smack some sense into him. While Isshin continued to tease his daughters, Sora couldn't help but laugh at his grandfather. He had deeply missed these types of moments. When the war began, his grandfather was always on guard duty. His Aunt Karin was hidden in one of the bases, pregnant with her first child. And his Aunt Yuzu…

Well, this was his opportunity to change the future. This time, he was going to save her from Mamoru. He wasn't going to let her die like before. He'd been a fool to think that the attack was over. It wasn't until he'd watched her body fall into the arms of Mamoru that he'd realized his mistake. He remembered teasing her after he saw a photo on her phone. _"Yuzu-nee! I'm hurt! How come you didn't tell me you have a boyfriend?"_He hadn't been snooping, just wanting to input his new number when he saw the face of a young handsome man with a ghost of a smile looking at him. He remembered how she just turned red, stammered and made an excuse as to who the man was. One week later, they were evacuated to Soul Society, and a few days after that she was dead.

"Are you alright?" Karin asked, nudging him out of his reverie. She could only guess what her grown nephew was thinking. She noticed Yuzu also appeared to be lost in her own thoughts as well.

"I am," Sora replied. "I'm just worried about how all these events could change the future."

"Whatever happens, I'm sure we can face it," Karin said confidently, right as Isshin's phone beeped. She looked at her father who answered the call, and watched as a smile slowly formed on his face.

"Tatsuki-chan! Welcome back!" He paused to let his son's childhood friend speak. "I see. Thank you for letting me know, Tatsuki-chan. We're currently staying at the Park Royal in Harajuku. We'll see you soon, and take care, Tatsuki-chan. We don't know where they will strike next." The three of them watched Isshin take a deep breath after he closed his cell phone. "Tatsuki just arrived from London," he explained. "She's outside our house. Soul Society has sent a few Shinigamis to look around for clues as to who our enemies may be. She said Asano and Mizuiro are with Chad already. Urahara rounded them up and is keeping them in his store, just in case."

"I guess the gang's all here," Karin said softly. "Almost, anyway. Any word from Ishida-san?"

"Tatsuki mentioned before she arrived in Japan that she felt spoke with him. He should be here quite soon."

Back at the ruins of what used to be the Kurosaki home, Tatsuki kept her Bluetooth ear piece on to make it look like she was speaking to someone on the phone as she spoke to the Shinigami in front of her.

"Are you sure it wasn't Aizen?"

Renji Abarai nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. If it was, at least we would know who we are dealing with."

"How was the reunion?" Tatsuki asked. It was easier to focus on lighter topics rather than dwell on the revelation that there was yet another nutjob out there who wanted to hurt her friend.

"What can you expect? Orihime-san and the twins cried, Sora looked confused at who the carrot top was, and Kakei…well, whoever he is, he doesn't seem to like Ichigo that much," Renji replied. He swung his head to his left. "Looks like the Quincy has arrived."

Tatsuki looked over as a car parked to the side and a man neither of them had seen for years stepped out.

"Ishida!" Tatsuki greeted happily. He waved slightly and waked over. The two of them stood awkwardly before Tatsuki gently punched him in the arm as a way of greeting. Her eyes grew wide when she noticed something different about him. She studied his face, trying to pinpoint it, and finally it came to her. "Your glasses!"

"I had my eyes operated on," Uuryu sighed and tried to repress the urge to adjust the eyeglasses that were no longer there.

"How was your flight?"

"Too long. It's good to see you, Arisawa." He nodded in greeting to the Shinigami. "Renji."

Renji just gave him a salute as he massaged the muscles at the back of his shoulder and neck.

"So, Aizen has returned?"

"Mah! I should just use one of those recording things you have so I don't have to keep repeating myself! No it's not that bastard Aizen. And we don't know who they are, either. There's massive research happening within Soul Society's research divisions. They're trying to find out who they were and what their aim is. All clans that have been exiled have a symbol tattooed in their arms. Hopefully they can narrow it down from there."

Ishida didn't need to ask any more questions, so he looked straight ahead at the Shinigami milling about the destroyed Kurosaki property.

"Are they all alright?"

Renji and Tatsuki could guess who he was talking about.

"They're staying at Park Royal at the moment, the one in Harajuku."

"Ichigo?" Ishida inquired, and the three of them continued to watch the Shinigami members sort through the rubble.

At his question, Tatsuki nodded. "Ichigo is with them."

"Good to know he has returned."

Tatsuki smirked. "Just so you know, I get to kick his ass first."

Ishida smiled. "Of course, Arisawa."

"Fukotaichou!" one of the Shinigami cried out. "I found something!"

"Don't touch it!" Renji commanded. He walked towards his subordinate. Tatsuki and Ishida quickly followed Renji, who looked at the piece on the ground and tried to see if there was anything familiar on the broken piece of metal. "Hisagi! Come look at this!"

"A piece from a Zanpakuto?" Tatsuki questioned, and Renji shook his head as Shuuhei Hisagi approached them. The redhead turned his attention back to the broken metal, and he knelt down to study the piece closely. "There's a kidou spell inscripted here, but nothing that I am familiar with." He quickly performed a few hand seals, and after a few moments, he nodded his head. "It's safe. I should bring it to Hinamori-fukotaichou to see if she can get more information."

At the mention of the young vice captain's name, Tatsuki lifted her head up

"Hinamori-san? How is she?"

Renji sighed and didn't answer immediately. "She's doing better, though she is no longer the girl that we know." His voice was soft, and his hands clenched into fists before he spoke again. "We need to return now. Will you be meeting with Urahara-san later this evening?"

"Yes," Tatsuki said. "I got a call from Urahara-san. He proposed meeting tonight at the store."

Renji nodded his head and snapped his fingers when an idea hit him. "Before we leave, where is the nearest place that I could buy some painting materials? I just remembered—Hitsugaya-taichou brought Hinamori some supplies a few months back, but I think she is running out. It would make a nice gift for her."

Ishida took out his phone and entered a few details before showing the screen to Tatsuki, who relayed the message to Renji.

"I can bring these back to Hinamori-fukotaichou. It's been a while since I visited her," Shuuhei volunteered, and Renji handed the kidou-imprinted object to him.

"I'll be going now," the redhead told his long-time friends. "I'll see you at Urahara's later! It is good to see you again, Ishida."

As the Shinigamis disappeared, Tatsuki and Uryuu looked at each other for a second.

"Do you want to see them now?" she asked.

"No, I need to go somewhere for the mean time. What time should we meet at Urahara's?"

"Around seven?"

Uryuu nodded in acceptance. "I'll see you later then."

Tatsuki waved good bye to Uryuu before she turned back to the ruins in front of her. She wondered, would it ever end for Ichigo and Orihime? With a sigh, she took out her keys and climbed on her motorcycle, intending to head straight to Harajuku.

Back at the hotel, in a room adjacent to his father's room, Ichigo watched as his infant son play with the Shun Shun Rikka while Orihime leaned against him.

"Where did you go?" she asked softly.

Ichigo held her hands in his and stroked her palms with his thumb. "I went all around Japan, China... My training with the Vizards wasn't going according to plan; my Hollow was getting too volatile. I thought that if I left and became stronger, I'd be ready when Aizen decided to show his ugly face again."

Orihime looked up at him, and Ichigo felt his heart beat faster as he looked into her eyes. She was even more beautiful then when he saw her last. And when he took in the beautiful picture of her and his son laughing in childish joy, he knew he'd made the right decision, as hard as it had been back then. The time he spend travelling had strengthened his hold on his hollow. He was going to protect her and their son from whatever army of whatever world they might originate from if they ever decided they could just come in and take what was his.

"You never said good bye," she whispered. "I would've understood." She looked away from him to wipe a tear out of her eye before he could notice, and instead of letting her turn away, Ichigo kissed her and held her tighter in his embrace. She'd known about his internal struggle with his hollow since the beginning. She'd seen with her own two eyes how quickly the hollow could take over when Ichigo was provoked, and she saw the desolate expression on his face the moment he felt another piece of his humanity slowly disappear each time the hollow appeared.

"I never would've been able to leave," Ichigo responded, holding her face, savoring the feel of her body against his. "I'll never leave again," he promised. "Not anymore."

Orihime smiled and gave him another kiss, but before he could deepen it any further, he felt a small kick and glared at Tsubaki who glared back at him.

"Control your child!" Tsubaki yelled demandingly, and Sora just giggled as he ran towards Orihime's side of the bed and raised his arms. Orihime smiled and picked Sora up, and once he was on the bed, the young boy squealed in delight and tried to grab Tsubaki. Before he could move away, Ichigo grabbed him and handed him to Sora who giggled as he rubbed his cheeks against the fairy struggling to flee.

The rest of the Shun Shun Rikka just sat on the table, exhausted. Kids were hard work.

"You will pay for this, Kurosaki!" Tsubaki threatened at Ichigo before turning his attention to the younger Kurosaki. "Release me, small boy!"

Sora just laughed in response, and Orihime gently pried Sora's hands open so Tsubaki could fly away.

"Baki! Baki!" Sora called out. The little boy jumped on the bed to try and reach Tsubaki.

"Sora-chan, let Tsubaki-kun rest for a while, ne?"

Sora pouted before he climbed over Orihime to look at Ichigo. "Baki?"

It felt surreal seeing this boy in front of him, and as Ichigo held the boy steady so he wouldn't fall onto the bed, he could feel the baby's reiatsu already. It was weak, but he could feel it pulse through his own veins, a presence which was connected deeply to his own, as his son just stared at him with eyes that started to water. "Baki!"

Ichigo looked up to Tsubaki who sighed in irritation as young Sora looked mournfully up at him. "Fine! Just a few more minutes then that's it!"

As he flew closer to the boy, Sora's pout turned to a smile. He looked up at the Rikka spirit who entertained him by flying around him.

As he watched his son play with Tsubaki, Ichigo's mind drifted to the older Sora. Almost as if she sensed his thoughts, Orihime lightly gripped his hands.

"He's with Isshin-san and the twins, don't worry. We'll all go to Urahara's together."

Ichigo just nodded in response. His mind was still seeing the angry way Sora had looked at him that morning before his father separated them all. There were so many questions that he knew they wanted to ask him, and then there was all the questions they had to ask Urahara in relation to their new enemy—it was going to be hell. He had already felt the Quincy's presence, as well as his other friends, and that comforted him somewhat. He'd missed them all terribly.

Ichigo held Orihime even tighter, enjoying this last chance for peace before they headed off to another battle. He was going to win, and he was going to stop at nothing to protect his family, Inoue, and now his baby son.

Deep inside his mind, his hollow lurked in the shadows and laughed.


	10. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all your reviews :) I really appreciate them and hope that you all keep coming back for more! **

**Once again, a big thank you to EternalDream, who is not only the best beta ever, but a brilliant mind reader as well!**

And as always, standard disclaimers apply.

The Ties that Binds  
Chapter 7

"So, in short, you have no idea who we're dealing with?" Ichigo asked, and Urahara slid his fan shut and used it to point at the orange haired man.

"Correct!"

He was met with groans of dissatisfaction until he opened his fan again. "I might not know who we are dealing with, but I think I know someone who does." When he had everyone's attention, he looked straight into a dark haired boy's face whose scowl was just a little _too _familiar.

What Urahara didn't know was that it had been Isshin's idea to dye Kakei's hair black, since they'd decided that no one outside of the Kurosaki family should find out his true identity. His orange hair and his attachment to Orihime would make it obvious who he was. As much as he'd wanted to protest dying his hair and using his pseudonym, he knew that gleam in his grandfather's eyes too well, so he just agreed to be called Kakei for the time being. He also knew it was safer for everybody that way, even though it was bothersome to have to keep up a front when everybody who mattered to him the most already knew who he was.

"Kakei-san? I think you will be able to tell us more. Perhaps with your information, I can find out more about these mysterious guests that we have. In the written history of Soul Society, there have been more than ten clans that have been exiled, dating back millennia ago. The information you can provide would help us narrow the search."

Kakei looked at Isshin, who nodded his head, before he stood up. As he walked to the front, Rukia had to close her eyes for a second, her memory jarring her with images of her former beloved Vice Captain. The first time she saw Kakei, she thought she was looking at Kaien Shiba…just had she had done with Ichigo. There was just something else about the boy that was so familiar.

Everyone was silent, waiting for Kakei to narrate what happened.

"All the information Yamamoto gave us was that they were from the Taira clan. They were banished for crimes committed against the Royal Family. The current leader is called Seishiro. His two brothers are Jiro and Mamoru." He refused to look at his Aunt Yuzu and tried to wash away the image of her lifeless body in Mamoru's arms. "Twelve years from now, his clan tried to invade Soul Society. We all thought it was Aizen. We were evacuated to Soul Society to prevent Karakura from being attacked. A week after we arrived, Seritae itself was breached. There were hundreds of them, all in red, killing everyone who stood in their way. They tried to storm the Fourth Division headquarters, and I...I don't know how it happened, but I managed to fight them all back. From that day on, we've managed to hold them back."

"And Seishiro and his brothers? What can you tell us about them?" Urahara pressed on. "Apart from the symbol of exile that Isshin-san has mentioned, is there anything else that you can tell us about them?"

He couldn't pinpoint what was so familiar about Kakei because his reiatsu was so expertly hidden it was hard to get a reading on who this boy really was. He was usually the first to figure things like this out, so he wasn't too worried; he'd get it later.

"The uniform—it's like ours, but red." Renji muttered, and Kakei nodded in agreement. "We found something on the grounds of the Kurosaki house; I've sent it to Hinamori-fukotaichou to further examine it and see if she can recognize something."

An image appeared in Kakei's mind as he tried to fight Mamoru, who refused to relinquish his hold on his Aunt's lifeless body. A disc shaped object was hanging on the hilt of his Zanpakuto…

"It looks like a part of something," Renji continued, completely unaware of Sora's reverie, "but it was in pieces. It looked like a kidou spell."

At Kakei's expression, Urahara cleared his throat. "Anything you'd like to add, Kakei-san?"

"There was something..." His eyebrows knit together as he tried to focus on remembering. "It was hanging on the hilt of Mamoru's Zanpakuto, like a disc. There are words inscribed…but I can't make it out." He closed his eyes to concentrate harder on seeing what the object looked like, but all he could see was Mamoru, in a defensive position, with his Aunt Yuzu's pale skin against the red of his uniform. His Zanpaktuo was drawn, the steel of the blade flashed in his memory as he remembered a tiny detail etched on the disc.

"It looked red…like a red looking butterfly."

On the shop's rooftop, the older Urahara's eyes widened as he heard Kakei's words. He felt like a fool for not realizing sooner who the enemy was. All this time, he'd been making sure he would remain undetected to the various humans and Shinigami beneath himself, and he waited for a sign that his younger self had realized who they were dealing with. He watched his younger version freeze after a moment, recognizing the symbol for what it was. Confident now that with this new information, the people of the past would now be able to handle Seishiro, the older Urahara knew he needed to go back to his future and relay the information to the rest of Soul Society.

Meanwhile, down in the shop, Kakei watched Urahara walked out of the room without a word, returning after a moment with a scroll. He handed the scroll to the younger man and asked, "Is this what you saw?"

Kakei looked carefully at the symbol on the scroll before nodding his head. "Yeah, that's it. What is it?"

Hearing the boy confirming his suspicions, Urahara handed the scroll to Isshin who stood beside him.

"It is the symbol of a clan whose name has long been erased from the history of Soul Society. The symbol belonged to the clan who was the ruling family several millennia ago. The head of the clan wanted to destroy hollows, even those who were changed against their will. Rather than purify those who deserved to enter the gates of Soul Society, he wanted the complete eradication of these souls."

Uryuu sat in silence, immediately noticing the resemblance with what had happened in the past with the Quincies. His hands clenched momentarily at the thought.

"The other clan families did not agree. One in particular voiced out against him, and unlike the other clans, he had the support of Yamamoto. The clan was eventually unseated as the rightful heir to the throne. In vengeance, the clan leader carried out an assassination attempt on the man who replaced him as the Spirit King, but he instead killed man's youngest daughter instead. Her soul was said to have been poisoned by a kidou known only to the Taira clan. Her soul was destroyed, and the other clans were furious for this transgression. Together they banished the entire clan from the gates of Soul Society. Records about this clan were destroyed, and any reference to them erased, as if they had never existed. The story was passed down by word of mouth from Yamamoto to each captain, in case this clan ever reappeared." With everyone in the room still sitting in silence, Urahara closed his eyes and dropped the ball. "There were rumors that the assassination of the princess was a set-up to unseat the Taira Clan from the throne."

"Are there basis for these rumors?" Isshin questioned, his voice serious and disquieted.

Urahara shook his head. "No. Everything was hearsay. But an entire clan is not exiled unless it is proven that the whole clan was involved in a crime against Soul Society or the Royal Family. This was the only exception. In this case, there was never any proof that the clan assisted their leader in his assassination attempt, even if it was successful."

Isshin read the scroll, and tried to look at it against the light, but as Urahara mentioned, the name of the clan was struck out with a spell throughout the scroll.

"Now, it seems as though his heirs are coming to claim what should've belonged to them."

Renji blinked as he processed the information. "How does that explain what they want with Orihime-san?"

"She is keeping them away from the gates of Soul Society. They cannot penetrate the shields of the Shun Shun Rikka," Kakei explained, though he was sure that bastard Seishiro had other plans for her.

"So how exactly do we defeat them?" Uryuu asked, glancing towards Kakei.

When he hesitated, Urahara asked his own question. "Kakei-san, do you know how they inflict this poison?"

"We don't know." Kakei replied. "This is the reason why we have not engaged them in battle—it's too risky when there is no known cure or form of protection. Without the soul being able to be reborn…"

The silence in the room ended when Urahara locked his hands together to stretch his arms upwards and crack his knuckles.

"Well, no need for all of us to be sitting here all gloomy. We might as well rest and see what we can come up with. Isshin-san? I'd like a word with you in private."

Isshin nodded as he followed Urahara to the back of the store.

"Mama?" Sora called out before he yawned and clutched her hair.

Orihime smiled as she kissed her son. "Are you sleepy, Sora-chan?"

Sora shook his head as he climbed down Orihime's lap to stare at Ichigo. Ever since he found out about his son, Ichigo was at loss on what to do. For the most part, Sora seemed to like staring at him. At least, compared to the older Sora, the look was more inquisitive than murderous, like he couldn't believe he was looking at Daddy and was trying to figure Ichigo out.

"Sora-chan! Look! It's chappy!" Rukia cried out to catch his attention. She pulled out a little white stuffed animal from her pocket and showed it to Sora, who giggled and made his way to her.

"Oi! Rukia! Don't get my son involved with your obsession with that freak!"

Rukia replied by throwing a book that was on the shelf, and soon, everyone was back to their old routine.

Renji and Ichigo went back to their usual round of bickering, while Rukia and Chad fawned over the young Sora. Orihime, Yuzu and Karin stayed with Kakei who was trying to hide from Urahara's peeking gaze as the man continued to speak with his grandfather in light whispers.

Mizuiro and Keigo looked at Ichigo and Renji, already taking bets on whose temper would snap first and who will take the first punch.

"Just like old times?"

Uryuu was shaken from his thoughts as Tatsuki sat beside him and snorted as Mizuiro pumped his fists in the air in victory when Renji threw the first punch. A sulking Keigo handed over the winner's money.

"So. How's it going living in New York?"

"I actually live in Los Angeles. I came to New York for a party."

"You didn't collapse in the middle of the party when the energy hit you, did you?" Tatsuki asked, concerned.

Uryuu shook his head. "No, luckily enough, my father wanted to speak to me. There were only two other people besides him who saw what happened. You?"

Tatsuki smirked. "I guess it was karma. All the ways I made it difficult for Ichigo to make a move on Orihime for so long… I was about to, as other people would say it, 'get lucky.'"

Uryuu nearly spat out his drink, and Tatsuki laughed at his expression. From his assessments of her, she'd never seemed to be interested in the opposite sex. But then again, back in their younger years, their days hadn't been filled with studies and parties. Back then they'd always been on high alert because some power hungry supernatural being decided he or she had a personal vendetta against someone in particular, or somebody else was just looking to be the most powerful. Naturally, that power had to be showcased by means of mass genocide.

"Well, I hope you 'get lucky' again," Uryuu said as he raised his bottle to salute her.

Tatsuki clicked his beer bottle with her own and took a swig. The pair continued to watch their friends, a sense of peace making both of them smile slightly.

It was good to be back.

**End Chapter**

**I hope you all liked this chapter and didn't bore you with the details! Please let me know what you think! **


	11. Chapter 8

**This fic would not have been possible if it wasn't for my absolutely fabulous beta reader, EternalDream!**

**As always, standard disclaimers apply...**

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 8

With the information provided by the scroll ready at hand, Renji sought out Momo Hinamori the following day. He hadn't seen his friend  
in some time, and he was eager to find out her learnings as well as show her the scroll. The corridors of the 5th division were practically  
empty, his wooden sandals making a slight rhythmic sound as he walked to her office.

"Hinamori?" Renji called out as he knocked. Hearing no response after his third try, he was about to turn around and leave when he saw  
his old classmate walking towards him with Shuuhei.

"Hinamori," he waved his hand in greeting at the young woman, and nodded his head at the male fukotaichou. "Hisagi."

"Abarai." Shuuhei greeted in kind, and Momo smiled at Renji before looking up at the man she'd been walking with.

"Thank you for accompanying me to Rukongai, Hisagi-sempai."

Renji gave a curious look to his female friend who returned his gaze calmly. Shuuhei broke the staring contest by asking Renji a question.

"Did Urahara-san give you any useful information last night?"

Before he could answer, Momo slid the door open and ushered the two men insider her office so they could speak of these matters  
privately.

"I have some news as well," she said softly, and walked ahead to her desk to pull out the pieces from a broken disc.

"The spells on the other side of this are spells similar to ours. Nothing more dangerous than the kidou we use."

Renji regarded the disc curiously. "Our visitor from the future said that on the other side of the disc is a drawing of a red butterfly.  
Urahara said it was the symbol of the clan that was banished from Soul Society after a failed assassination attempt on the next Spirit  
King successor. Kakei called them the Taira clan."

Momo nodded. "It certainly looks like it, but it's not actually a drawing. The closer you look, the more that you'll notice that the butterfly  
itself is a kidou. It's almost a riddle, the way it was devised. With only half of the disc, I can't really tell what it can do. Has Kakei-san  
mentioned anything else?"

Renji tried to relay as much information as possible from what the Karakura group had discussed, including the soul poison used by the  
Taira clan.

"Soul poison?"

Renji scratched the back of his head. "I don't know exactly what it's called, to be honest. But Kakei and Urahara said it destroys the soul  
in such a way that it prevents the soul from being reborn, which was how the original Taira clan head tried to kill his enemy."

There was a vacant look in Momo' eyes, and both Renji and Shuuhei looked at each other in worry. After her recovery from Toshiou's attack,  
the young fukotaichou had looked more like glass that would shatter under a gentle breeze than ever before. The white-haired taichou had  
never forgiven himself for falling into Aizen's illusion and nearly killing his best friend, and he mourned the loss of her vitality and youthful  
happiness more than any other person in Soul Society.

"I'd heard of something similar years ago—of a kidou designed to break the soul in such a way it can never reform," Momo said softly after  
a moment. Her hands shook as she sat down.

"Hinamori...you all right?" Renji questioned gently, concern for his former classmate written all over his face.

Momo nodded slightly as she looked at her two friends. "Aizen-tai…" She stopped before she could complete Sousuke Aizen's former title.  
She unconsciously bit her lip as she looked at the men before her, almost as if she was waiting for them to admonish her for nearly adding  
the honorific to Aizen's name even after everything that he'd done.

Shuuhei walked closer to Momo and knelt down to look at her. "Aizen had mentioned something to you?" he guessed.

Momo nodded. "He...he mentioned it once, almost in passing just before he gave me a book. He was always given me the best books to read,"  
she responded reminiscently. It would have sounded almost wistful if her voice hadn't been shaking and she hadn't had to close her eyes. "It's  
a book that he'd given me as a gift for my promotion to fukotaichou."

As gently as his voice would allow, Renji spoke. "Did this book mention anything about the Taira clan?"

Momo shook her head before she opened her eyes to peek up at Renji.

"Abarai-kun...it's the black book with a red, golden script on the spine. Can you get it for me, please?"

"Of course!" Renji replied enthusiastically to break the pensive mood. He spotted the book in the shelf quite easily and handed it to Momo.

Without saying anything, she opened the book to a specific page and held it out so the guys could see what she was referencing. They drew  
close and she began to reveal what she could remember, her voice becoming stronger as she talked in light of putting on a professional front.

"The book is a history of all the kidou used by Soul Society. Some we still use, others have been banned for good reason. Very dangerous. There's  
no incantations in these books, just the names of the spells and what they can do. The ones that have been banned have been blackened out  
by a kidou," Hinamori explained and showed them a blacked out page. "This is the one that you could be talking about."

"There's no mention on how it is applied?"

Hinamori shook her head. "No, unfortunately. But I'll try to see if I can unlock the kidou. It might give us more information, at the very least."

"I'll let the others know. Are you going to be okay, Hinamori?"

Hinamori gave a small, self-deprecating smile. "I am. I just need to rest, that's all."

Shuuhei and Renji just looked at each other before the brown-haired man spoke. "Please don't hesitate to call us if you need anything, fukotaichou."

"I will. Thank you again, Hisagi-sempai."

The two men bowed and the moment they left, Renji gave his friend a look. "You went with her to Rukongai?"

"She wanted to visit her grandfather as well as Hitsugaya-taichou's grandmother. I usually see you or Kira by her side if the Hitsugaya-taichou  
is away, but neither of you were around, so I thought it was best that she didn't go alone."

Renji nodded in agreement. After some low-level Shinigami had been stupid enough to question her loyalty to Soul Society within Izuru Kira's  
earshot, the unfortunate fool had spent the next week under the care of the 4th Division. Since then, it'd been an unspoken agreement that  
Momo should always be escorted by him or Kira to prevent assholes like that from making false and hurtful comments to or about their friend  
within hearing range.

"Plus, I still owe her." Renji glanced at Shuuhei in surprise, so he explained, "Do you remember when the three of you started to hang out  
together? I though all of you were going to be the death of me, especially during that hollow incident."

Renji smirked as his mind drifted to a much, much happier version of Momo Hinamori, who, despite being the most innocent-looking of the three,  
was also the cheekiest and bravest.

"She ran back to where you were despite your orders."

Hisagi nodded and laughed a little at the memory. "I don't know what I would've done if she hadn't turned back. Or you and Kira."

Renji put a hand on his friend's shoulder and chuckled with him. "Most of it was Hinamori. She is truly gifted with kidou. I don't think Kira and I  
would've done that well in school if it wasn't for her."

Hisagi grinned full out as the two men continued to walk away, each of them trying to remember the warm, happy fukotaichou they once knew.

-0-0-0-0-

Alone in her room, Momo Hinamori dreamed. Curled into a ball, her mind tormented her with images of a kind Aizen Sosuke who handed her the  
book. Her mind replayed the day Aizen gave it to her.

_She eagerly accepted the book with a blush as she looked at the man she had admired for so long. As she held the book in her hands, Aizen-taichou  
placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled.__"You failed to unlock the secrets of that book, Hinamori. It seems I have not taught you well enough..."_

_Startled, she looked up at him with worry. And Aizen-taichou's smile grew cold…_

…and Momo woke up with a scream after Aizen stabbed her through the heart.

Her body started to shake as she covered her mouth with her hands. It'd been months since she had dreamed of her former captain. She stayed  
in her futon trembling when she heard a knock on the door.

"Hinamori-fukotaichou?" Shinji Hirako opened the shoji a fraction. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, taichou. It was just a dream."

Shinji shook his head. "I asked if you were all right. May I come in?"

Momo was unsure of how she should act around her taichou now that he'd seen something so embarrassing, but she didn't feel that she could  
properly deny him entrance when he was being so kind to her. "Yes..." She watched Shinji walked in and kept her head down. The blond Vizard  
knelt next to her futon and waited for her to speak.

"Abarai-kun had news about the Taira clan this morning. What he said reminded me of a book I was given by Aizen…"

She didn't need to say anymore for Shinji to understand. He looked at the black book lying next to the futon. "May I?"

At Momo's nod of consent, Shinji flicked through the pages of the book, his features impassive as he noticed the blacked out pages. What had  
Aizen hoped to achieve by handing her a book with hardly any information?

"Are you planning on unlocking secrets from this book, Hinamori-fukotaichou?"

"I am. It may lead us to an answer on how we can protect or reverse the effects of the Taira clan's soul poison in the future."

As Momo explained to her captain what the soul poison was, Shinji's mind tried to recall something that had made him suspicious of Aizen  
before he was hollowfied.

"Well then, you'd better get some rest. I wouldn't want my cute little first love to turn into a grumpy frump like Hiyori..."

"I HEARD THAT!"

Shinji just grinned as he caught the sandal thrown at his head by Hiyori, who also hurled obscenities at the fifth division captain.

Momo offered a small smile as she watched Shinji walk out, only to be kicked by Hiyori from behind—a surprise attack. She knew to take his  
"first love" comment with a grain of salt. He said it to every pretty girl he met, always making sure to say it when Hiyori was around to get a  
rise out of her.

As soon as their voices faded, Momo stared at the wall, her smile already faded. Her mind drifted back to the day Aizen found her in his library.  
After giving her permission to read all the books that he owned, Momo made it a point to visit the library every free chance she had.

One memory stood out in particular.

_She remembered looking at the shelves, all filled with interesting books about Soul Society and the human world, when one book caught her eye. It was  
graying, and the spine of the book looked like it'd been opened too many times. She eagerly grabbed it from the shelf and noticed a red butterfly drawn  
on front cover; she traced it gently and jerked her hand back in surprise when the book began to feel warm. Curious as to what could've caused the  
sensation; Momo opened the pages and squinted her eyes in the dim light as she eagerly read the pages. The book looked like an old fable, but there  
was something else…something that almost shimmered under the words about the tale of a bamboo cutter._

_"Ah, I see you've found my favorite book."_

_"Aizen-taichou!"__Aizen smiled warmly as he held his hands out, and Momo obediently handed him the book without a word._

_"Did you read anything interesting?"_

_She could only blush shyly. Her mind seemed to have shut down in his presence, leaving her unable to tell her captain what she noticed about  
the book._

As Momo drifted back to the present, her mind filled with shock and wonder at the memory, her hands quickly grabbed the book next to her futon,  
and her fingers traced a random pattern in the book. It was a pattern she had never paid too much attention to in the past. She could feel her  
heart beating against her chest as she stood up and walked out of her room and headed straight to her office. Once inside, she looked at the  
broken disc that Shuuhei had handed her. As she traced her fingers along the pattern on the disc, her mouth began to chant the kidou that was  
etched on the butterfly. She felt a small spike of power in the book, and as Momo quickly opened to a page, her eyes locked onto a passage that  
was once blackened out and now clear for her to see. But before she could read more than a few lines, the passage darkened once more.

Momo sat down, the full weight of her discovery sinking in. This book may not contain the actual spells used by the Taira clan, but Aizen's books  
had always had a purpose. An old book about fables and fairy tales would not be significant unless it held a deeper secret.

_"Did you read anything interesting?"_

Her fists clenched, and she realized there must be another book of spells amongst Aizen's collection. The red butterfly was the key to unlocking  
them. She grabbed the book and the scroll and quickly made her way to Shinji Hirako's quarters.

**End Chapter.**

**A big thank you to heatherXD, EternalDream (of course!), nypsy... there will be more IchiHime scenes later on, and hope you like what I planned for Mamoru and Yuzu! Sunflowerspot, Xtremefairy, DeathBerryLover1995: I'll try, though I can't promise long chapters! Ichihime supporter and Child of the Ashes. Thank you again!**

**Comments and reviews will be appreciated!  
**


	12. Chapter 9

**And here's another chapter for all you lovely people! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing this chapter, and a big thank you to EternalDream for being my beta!**

**As always, Standard disclaimers apply**

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 9

Isshin carefully watched Kakei and Ichigo fight. As Kakei's powers were linked with Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka, he'd advised the boy not to use them, even in training. He had agreed, though Isshin could tell he wasn't happy with his grandfather's decision. His eyes wandered over to look at young Sora, his little hands clapping as Renji sat him on his shoulders and held him up. He wondered what could've happened to his grown grandson that made him grow up to hate his father. As far as Isshin could tell, Sora had grown close to them, especially his Aunt Yuzu. He also seemed to have developed a friendship with Renji and Rukia, as well as the rest of Ichigo's friends. So why hate Ichigo…

_"If you stopped leaving all the damned time, you would know!"_

Kakei's earlier outburst would've meant that Ichigo did return at some point, only to leave again. How often and how long would be the next question.

"Are you two actually sparring? Do something!" Renji demanded, annoyed as he watched Ichigo and Kakei fling half hearted attacks at each other.

Isshin grinned when Ichigo threw Renji an insult. He was sure that while Kakei was more than happy to release his pent up aggression towards his father, that he wasn't prepared to do so with Orihime hovering at the sidelines, worriedly looking on as she watched Ichigo her dearest love and her son do battle.

"Perhaps we can teach them how to really fight," Isshin spoke, nudging Renji in the side.

"Hell yeah," Renji responded with a grin. He took Sora off his shoulders and handed him over to Rukia.

"Just don't break him too much, Renji-san," Karin called out, an absent smile spreading across her lips as she watched Rukia cradled Sora in her arms. "You know how brittle old people get."

"Karin," Isshin said, placing his hand over his heart dramatically. "Don't you have faith in your father? Surely you can't believe I'd lose?" When he got no response from his daughter, he decided to switch tactics. "Sora-chan...you're on Grandpa's side, right?"

Sora cocked his head to one side before laughing and pointing at Renji. "JiJi!"

The rest of the group just laughed as Isshin pouted at his grandson.

Before the fight could resume, Yuzu spoke up. "Ichi-nii. Kakei-kun. Would you two mind accompanying me to the store please? I'd like to cook for everyone tonight."

The group watched in interest as Kakei and Ichigo shared a long look with each other before Kakei nodded his head. Isshin grinned, knowing full well Yuzu had an ulterior motive in asking the two to shop with her.

"Good idea, Yuzu. Kakei, Ichigo, I trust you'll look after her, hmm?"

The two have him a nod, and Yuzu smiled as she waved good bye to everyone.

-0-0-0-0-

On the way to the grocery store, Yuzu tried in vain to have Ichigo and Kakei speak to each other, but to no avail.

_"Mou...Sora-chan is just as stubborn as Ichi-nii,"_she thought to herself as they finally reached their destination. Out loud she said, "Ne, Ichi-nii, Sora-chan. I'll just go inside on my own. You'll probably both be bored inside. I promise I won't be long!"

Before the pair could protest, Yuzu had already run inside the store, leaving them behind with an awkward atmosphere.

Sora leaned against the wall behind him, arms crossed, unwilling to initiate a conversation with his father. He seethed as he glared at Ichigo. It was strange, seeing him this young. His memories of his father were erratic. Ichigo Kurosaki was a man who'd come and gone so many times that it was hard for Sora to remember exactly what he even really looked like, apart from the hair that he'd inherited from him. Hair that had become speckled with some grays and silvers thanks to stress and time.

Ichigo on the other hand, didn't know where to begin. He couldn't understand the hostility his son had against him, and it made him worry. What had he done—or rather, what would he do _later_—that was so bad that it would cause this kind of hostile reaction from his son?

Neither decided to speak up first, and Ichigo was saved from any more awkwardness when his Substitute License badge beeped. "Shit. Stay here!" Ichigo ordered, and his body slumped to the ground, his soul already running in the direction of whatever had caused the badge to act up.

"Bastard!" Sora snarled, hating that he'd just been left behind _again_, and to top it off, he'd been ordered to stay put by somebody he detested. As if Ichigo had any right to order him to stay put! He really should have just left Ichigo's body out in the open…but that probably would have caused problems for his Mother and Grandfather, and he just couldn't do that to them. Instead, he looked around for a good hiding spot and to make sure nobody had seen Ichigo's body collapse, and then moved to the side before dumping his father's body behind some shrubs. Knowing his Aunt Yuzu, she'd be in the shop for at least another half hour. That would give Sora plenty of time.

He used his senses to track down where the hollow was. He arrived on a hill not far from where they were earlier and stood behind a tree for a moment as he watched his father fight. He refused to admire how cleanly and how efficiently his father fought. There was a strange reiatsu underlying Ichigo's power that Sora couldn't figure out. All he could tell was that there was something entirely sinister behind it.

As a couple more hollows appeared from the sky, he unsheathed his Zanpakuto from behind him and joined the fight. Ichigo turned around just in time to see Sora jump from behind to slice through a newly arrived hollow.

"I thought I told you to stay back!" Ichigo cried out as he dodged an attack from the hollow.

"Just wanted to make sure you don't slip up. You look a little out of practice!" Sora yelled as he called out Tsubaki to finish the job.

The older Kurosaki chose not to respond as he avoided a swipe from a hollow with claw that looked like it came from an American horror movie. As they fought, Ichigo watched over Sora from the corner of his eye to make sure he was fine. Deep inside him, he felt a surge of pride as he watched his son fight. It took him back many years ago to when Rukia had first transformed him into a substitute Shinigami.

Like his younger self at that early stage, Sora was a decent warrior, but his fighting abilities relied more on power than tactics. Sooner or later, he was going to face an opponent who would be able to easily read him, and he may not just loose the battle but also his life if he didn't learn to fight with more precision and control.

"Try not to make the first move," Ichigo instructed as the pair crossed paths. "Watch your opponent."

Sora sneered at the advice. "I don't need lessons, especially not from you!"

His son's attitude irked him, but before he could say anything else, Sora spoke again.

"I'm not planning on letting Soul Society rule my life! I can fight just fine. Protecting my mother and my family is all I care about!"

Two other hollows appeared, but it wasn't the number of hollow that worried Ichigo. He'd handled a lot more years ago when Ishida was foolish enough to use hollow bait. So what had Ichigo's attention right now was how the hollows they fought were too weak, almost as if someone was having fun at their expense. There was a slight reiatsu that floated in the background, but it almost felt like there was a blanket over it that was protecting its true identity. With a final slash to one of the hollows, he briefly turned around to make sure Sora was still okay before dodging an attack from a different hollow.

"You really think you can win all the time?"

"I know I can!" Sora replied, just as he finished off another hollow.

"Don't be so cocky!" Ichigo snapped, his temper ready to break.

"Why not? It sure as hell worked for you!" Sora retorted, turning around to face off against Ichigo.

The hollows seemed to have stopped reappearing for the moment, so the distant father and son were left standing on their own.

"If you have a problem with me, just say it!" Ichigo spat out as he sheathed his Zanpakuto behind him.

"I don't have a problem with you!"

"Really?" Ichigo asked. "Because you sure as hell act as if you do!"

Sora sheathed his own Zanpakuto. "You have no idea how lucky you are that Mom was back there in the training grounds, because there is nothing I want more than to beat the shit out of you!"

"Then fight me!" Ichigo challenged, his hollow rejoicing in his cage as it felt Sora's reiatsu flare. "Orihime's not right here now, so you want to fight me? Then do it!"

"With pleasure!"

Sora and Ichigo began to fight, their Zanpakutos clashing, both unaware of the spiritual energy they were both releasing. While Sora launched offensive attacks against his father, Ichigo tried only to counter attack, unwilling to strike his own son, much to his hollow's displeasure. Both were concentrating too much on each other, and they failed to feel or see Yuzu heading straight for them, begging them to stop.

-0-0-0-0-

"Ichi-nii! Sora!" Yuzu cried out, running towards the two as fast as she could. "Stop it!"

She knew something was wrong in the middle of her shopping. It was more of an intuition rather than a spiritual awareness that something had gone wrong. She'd immediately exited the store without purchasing anything. She'd looked around outside and noticed two crows heading straight for a nearby hill, and, not knowing why, she ran towards the hill. She tripped in her haste to get up the hill quicker and hobbled her way to the top. Once she saw her brother and nephew fighting, she felt as if her heart would stop in fear. She stood there in shock for a moment, hands clenched as her eyes started to water.

"Ichi-nii! Sora, that's enough! Stop!"

Either they weren't listening or they couldn't hear her, so she made a foolish move to run towards them.

"Stop this! Ichi..." she stopped speaking when her body was stopped in place, as if she'd run straight into a solid mass of wall. She felt as if she could not breathe, like someone was chocking her, and her hands flailed up to her neck to try and stop whatever was pressing her airway shut.

Ichigo and Sora turned around at the same time as they felt a hollow appear, and both were horrified to see Yuzu in the hollow's mercy as it began to choke her.

"Let her go!" Sora yelled out, and the hollow laughed as it threw Yuzu to the side before launching itself at Sora. It was followed by another hollow, which blocked Ichigo's path long enough that he was unable to stop Yuzu from hitting the tree her body was flying towards.

Yuzu closed her eyes and waited for the impact which never came. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of startling green eyes that gazed down on her with worry and an emotion she couldn't identify. It looked very much like affection, but she'd never really met this man before, so why…

"Are you alright?"

His voice was soft, and Yuzu could not explain the feeling that coursed through her. Cradled safely in his arms, she could feel his strength radiating throughout his body. There was something about the way he was looking at her that made her feel different, and before she could even try to think what it meant, Sora's voice broke through the haze.

"Mamoru! What the hell are you doing here?" Sora asked in clear aggression and agitation from behind them.

Mamoru didn't turn around to address the young man, and Yuzu, who was still in shock, could only look at her savior again. Sora had already warned her about Mamoru, but there was something in his eyes that made her breath hitch…

"Oi! You think you can take your hands of my sister now?" Ichigo was distrustful of anybody he didn't personally know, but if Sora disliked this man with what looked like even more hatred than he had for his father, then it gave Ichigo even more cause to not trust the man holding his sister. However, in light of that, he also wasn't going to be stupid and do anything that could get Yuzu hurt.

Yuzu felt Mamoru slowly release her, as if he were reluctant to do so. Before she could thank him, she winced as she stumbled, and she remembered her ankle.

"Ichi-nii...I think I sprained my ankle."

Before Ichigo can say anything to her, Mamoru laid her down gently, and Yuzu could've sworn her brother snarled as Mamoru touched her ankle.

"Hey! Keep your hands away from her!" Sora cried out, and Mamoru just whispered words that Yuzu barely understood.

She looked down in wonder as the pain she felt earlier disappeared.

"Thank you," Yuzu said softly. Her eye met Mamoru's, who simply gave her a slight smile. She was very aware that his hands were still on her ankle.

Ichigo and Kakei, now united in face of a common enemy, glared at the scene before them. Neither of them could attack Mamoru, not with Yuzu so close to him.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Yuzu shook her head, and Mamoru gently placed her feet on the ground after he helped her stand up. When he stepped back, he barely had a chance to move before she saw Sora practically leap at him. Her grown nephew grabbed Mamoru by the lapel of his uniform and disappeared.

"What… Where did they go?"

Ichigo kept silent since he had no clue where they'd gone either. He didn't like the faraway look in her eyes as he brushed the dirt and grass off of her and checked her for any more signs of injury. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

"I felt like something was wrong, so I went out of the store, and you were both gone! What happened? I brought the two of you with me so you could talk, not fight!"

"We did talk!" Ichigo replied, unused to seeing the disappointed look Yuzu was throwing at him.

"Couldn't you have done it without trying to hurt each other?"

"I wasn't trying to hurt him, he was trying to hurt me. And besides, if fighting me for real is the only way he'll talk then..." Ichigo paused as he tried to feel Sora's reiatsu, to see if he needed help.

"Go to him, Ichi-nii. I'll be fine. My sprain is healed, and there's nothing else wrong with me."

She could see the dilemma her brother faced, and she tried to give him a brave smile. "I promise I'll go back down and stay at the shop," she murmered, and placed a hand on his arm for reassurance. "Go and make sure Sora is okay, ne?"

Ichigo spotted a black cat on top of a tree branch, and, knowing his sister would now be safe, he nodded his head. Before he could move, Yuzu stopped him for a second.

"Please don't hurt Mamoru-san. He did save my life twice."

"I won't," Ichigo promised her after giving it brief consideration. His son, on the other hand, could do whatever he wanted to the red-clad man. "Go back to the store. We'll be there soon."

-0-0-0-0-

In an abandoned building, Mamoru leaped backwards from Sora's attack.

"You never should have come here, Mamoru!"

"Do not make me fight you, Sora Kurosaki," Mamoru replied as he dodged another attack from the young man.

"What are you planning, you bastard? Are you going to kill her now instead of waiting a few more years?"

At his accusation, Mamoru's hands clenched. "It was the only way to save her."

"Bullshit! I've heard that line before! I didn't believe it then, and I sure as hell don't believe it now!"

Sora launched another attack and this time, Mamoru drew his own Zanpakuto. His sword clashed against the younger man's, and Sora tried to mask his surprise when he felt his hand wobble from the force of the attack. He had never battled the man before, and unlike Jiro and Seishiro, his attacks had more force behind them. Sora grit his teeth as the force of Mamoru's attack caused him to slide backwards.

"I saw you stab her through the chest. How could you hold her and tell me that you love her?" Sora yelled, angered when his arms began to ache from just a single attack.

"To save her soul." Mamoru replied, easily deflecting anohter attack from the young Kurosaki. "You asked me why I killed her, and I told you."

Sora just screamed as he tried to lunge at Mamoru, who again easily avoided his attack.

"She was already dying. She was helping a child escape from one of our men when she was struck with the soul poison. You know what would've happened next. There was only one way I could save her."

"Liar! There is no cure!" Sora cried as he made another lunge at Mamoru.

The older man dropped to the ground and swept his leg at Sora's feet, causing him to crash to the ground. Mamoru flipped his blade away from Sora, and the young boy glared at the disc that hung on the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"Who told you that? Yamamoto?" Mamoru shot back. "The poison is designed with a specific kidou that makes our clan immune to the poison. The kidou we have attached to our Zanpakuto can either destroy the soul, or save it. Not to save the life, but the soul. Do you understand what I am saying, Sora Kurosaki?" At his silence, Mamoru continued. "Would you rather it have been that her soul was destroyed, forever denied the chance of being reborn?"

Two crows fluttered and landed on Mamoru's shoulders. At their caws, Mamoru nodded as he looked over to where Ichigo was, body poised to attack.

"Leave, young one. Our fight has drawn the attention of my brothers and your friends."

"I'm not finished with..." Sora stopped because Mamoru had already disappeared. "Bastard!"

-0-0-0-0-

Earlier at the Urahara store, everyone had felt the wild explosion of reiatsu from both Ichigo and Sora. Rukia and the rest of the Vizards stayed behind with a protesting Orihime. The rest tried to locate Ichigo and Sora, but the appearance of more hollows halted their progress.

Now that they were all back, Ichigo and Kakei sat in silence as Isshin glared at the two of them. The trio were in one room; everybody else in the other. The former Shinigami captain very rarely showed his anger, but this time, the anger was out in full force as he stared at his son and his grown grandson.

"All I expected when you both accompanied Yuzu to get some grocery shopping done was to protect her in the event that there was a hollow attack. What I do not expect was for the two of you to put her life in danger!"

In another room, Yoruichi almost regretted giving Isshin the full report of what she saw. The rest of them stayed silent, unused to this side of Isshin Kurosaki.

"Kakei, I know you have a problem with...with Ichigo. But this Ichigo is from this time. He has not committed the transgressions that have angered you. Try not to treat him with the same anger. And you, Ichigo. You told me you had to leave to have better control of your powers and your temper. Control of which you did not display."

At the silence that greeted him, Isshin announced his decision loud and clear.

"You're both grounded."

"WHAT?" the two shouted in response.

"You heard me, grounded. Unless there's an actual life or death situation either here or in Soul Society, neither of you are stepping out of this store until you get your issues sorted."

He didn't give them a chance to reply. He walked out and slammed the door shut. He gazed impassively on the audience in front of him, who looked back at him shock.

With a wink, Isshin gave a two thumps up sign before walking out of the shop, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.

-0-0

End Chapter

**Thanks to all your reviews! Your reviews keep me going! :) **

**Anna: Thanks heaps, and I hope you enjoy the next chapters! Nypsy: I hope to keep you happy all the way through! There will be a companion to Mamoru's Interlude and more Momo soon. Ichihime supporter: And here's another update for you! Glad I gave you something nice to read after your exam! The Dessa: I try to make them at least 4 pages... but sometimes, I do get that extra kick and some chapters are longer than others, and I will try to keep them coming at least once a week, or every two weeks.. there will be more Mamoru/Yuzu too! Xtremefairy: Momo is very smart! Perhaps to smart? Hehehe... Magdalena88: Thanks for the review, and hope you enjoyed this too!**


	13. Chapter 10

**I can't resist. I need to post this now before I hibernate because of a cold! Special thanks to EternalDream for always fleshing the chapters out and makes the whole fic better, and to everyone that has read and reviewed. Thank you all!**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

The Ties that Binds  
Chapter 10

Ichigo looked at the training landscape from the balcony, and he tried to assess the situation. He was quite content to leave dinner earlier than the others. Neither he nor Sora had spoken to one another. Only Orihime's appearance had settled the tension. Yuzu had assured everybody that she was fine, and admonished Isshin for his unfair punishment of her brother and nephew, for which he had been grateful.

Now that everyone was in their respective quarters for the night, his mind drifted back to the man his son called Mamoru. When he followed Sora to the abandoned building and heard the conversation between the two, the last thing he expected to hear was the same man that had saved his sister, would be the same man that would end her life.

"Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo turned around and held out his hands for Orihime. She reached out, and he pulled her closer. His eyes drifted to their son asleep on the bed.

"Are you alright?"

"He hates me."

Orihime pulled slightly away as she looked at Ichigo.

"He doesn't hate you," Orihime murmured softly. "Whatever happened between here and the future that he came from, we can change that. The more that he stays here with us, he'll see that there's no reason for him not to like you."

Rather than respond, Ichigo chose to turn his sights on the barren landscape, enjoying their hands still intertwined. She let go, stepped behind him, and wrapped her arms around him. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew that scowl on his face had slipped away.

"It's like what your father said. Whatever you did that made him angry, you haven't committed those things yet. So he can't really be angry with you for something you haven't done, right?"

Ichigo snorted before he spoke. "That's like not being angry with that asshole Mamoru for not killing Yuzu just yet..."

Orihime understood the logic his argument, but something didn't quite seem to be adding up with Mamoru's and Yuzu's situation. "You said that he saved her life, yes? That he fixed her ankle?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "He also said that he killed her to save her life, that there's some kidou attached to his Zanpakuto which allowed him to save her soul or something. Yeah right."

His voice was full of disbelief, and even if he didn't say anything about it, she knew him well enough to know that he hated himself for not being able to protect her sister—even if the event he was thinking about had yet to happen.

Orihime remained silent for a few seconds before she spoke again. "He also saved her on the day that you came back."

"Orihime..." Ichigo finally turned to look at her. "I don't like your way of thinking."

"All I'm saying is that he had plenty of opportunity to hurt Yuzu-chan. Seishiro and his brothers went back through time to hurt us, but he's been protecting her. That counts for something, right?"

Ichigo turned around and wrapped his arms around Orihime. "You really have too much of a big heart," he said softly before giving her a kiss.

Orihime smiled as she returned the kiss. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Ichigo." Her smile calmed him, and Ichigo knew he could never be thankful enough to whatever God existed that she had chosen him, and that she stayed with him. "Don't worry about Sora, Ichigo-kun. He'll see you for the man you really are, the man that fought more than a million Shinigami to save his friend."

"I wouldn't say millions..."

"The man who was prepared to sacrifice his humanity just to save an ordinary girl."

"You...you are not 'just a girl.' You never were."

"He'll see all of that, Ichigo," she repeated with certainty. Her words warmed his heart, and just before he could pull her in for another kiss, Orihime's eyes twinkled. "Yuzu-chan seemed to be quite taken with Mamoru."

In that instant, Ichigo froze as he looked down at Orihime. "Did she say that?"

"No, but they way she talked about him..."

"She talked about him?" Ichigo asked, the scowl back in full force as he remembered how shyly his sister had looked at their enemy, and how his hands had lingered on her ankle a little bit longer than necessary.

Orihime placed her hands on Ichigo's chest. "Besides, if Mamoru really was the enemy, he wouldn't have told you how to counter the soul poison, ne?"

"You really don't expect us to believe that sh—that stuff he said, do you?"

"Didn't Renji-kun find pieces of a broken disc? And didn't Hinamori-san say that it was inscribed with a kidou? Ichigo-kun...if there's even a slight possibility that what Mamoru said is true, isn't that something we should look into?"

Ichigo looked at Orihime, and his mind replayed what he heard Mamoru said.

_"The kidou we have attached to our Zanpakuto can either destroy the soul, or save it. Not to save the life, but the soul."_

"Shimatta," Ichigo cursed as he realized what Mamoru revealed. "I need…I need to talk to Sora."

Orihime just smiled as she gave Ichigo a chaste kiss on the lips. "Go..."

Ichigo gave Orihime a deeper kiss before leaving to find his grown up son.

-0-0-0-0-

Outside the Urahara store, Ayame Namkamura took a deep breath as she pasted a smile on her face. Since arriving in Tokyo, she'd tried to call Uryuu several times, but his phone must have been switched off. When her phone beeped a few hours ago, she was more than excited to see where her fiancé finally was. Who knew installing Foursquare in Uryuu's phone would actually work? She took out her compact mirror to make sure her makeup was still in place before knocking on the door. "Hello?" she called out. Why Uuryu would stay in a place like this when the Ishida family had numerous apartments in Tokyo was beyond her. She knocked again.

"We're closed," a woman said behind the closed doors, and Ayame huffed.

"_Well, duh_!" she thought, refraining from rolling her eyes. Out loud she said, "I wasn't buying anything. I'm just looking for my fiancé, Uuryu Ishida."

The door immediately opened, and Ayame found herself face to face with a dark-skinned woman who would've been extremely attractive if it wasn't for the frown on her face. "Ishida disclosed our location to you?"

"Oh, no... I tracked him down through Foursquare." At the blank look she received, Ayame continued, "It's an app for smartphones that allows people to track other people."

Yourichi just stared at the woman in front of her before looking behind her. "ISHIDA!"

Soon enough, her fiancé showed up, and Uryuu looked in bewilderment to see Ayame standing outside the Urahara Store.

"Ayame! What are you doing here?"

"It's a surprise, silly! You sounded so upset about your friend, I thought I'd join you. You know, to lift your spirits up!"

The dark-skinned woman grabbed Ishida's arm. "How is that possible?"

"It's a saying, Yourichi-san," he replied patiently. "It's to make someone feel better."

"I see…" Yourichi said suspiciously before she turned her attention back to Ayame.

"How did you find me?" Uryuu asked, confused.

"Foursquare," she shrugged. "Remember when I asked you if I can put all these cool apps on your Blackberry so we can always keep in touch besides boring old texting?"

Uryuu racked his brain for that particular memory and could only nod his head in false agreement when he realized he had no idea when this conversation had taken place.

"So. Is this where your friend lives? The one who was in trouble?"

Kisuke walked out and looked at the newcomer. "A friend of yours, Ishida-san?"

"I'm his fiancé!" Ayame proudly announced. She held out her hand to flash her ring.

"A lovely ring," Kisuke nodded. "Perhaps we can continue this inside?"

Ayame smiled as she walked inside. "How come you're staying here?" she said, tugging on her fiancé's sleeve. "I would've thought that you'd stay at your family apartment in the city." She slipped her arm around his own and leaned against him.

"I've decided to stay here for a few nights," Uryuu responded absently, racking his brain to try and think of what he could say or do to send Ayame back to the United States as quickly as possible without risking offending her.

"Ishida!" Tatsuki yelled with a grin. "What's taking you so long? Renji and Rukia are starting to pretend nothing is going on between..." She trailed off when she saw a blond woman, arms hooked with her friend.

"Hi, I'm Ayame Nakamura. Uryuu's fiancé."

"Is that right," Tatuski said, and looked at Uryuu, a fake smile automatically slipping across her face. Why she felt the need to pretend she wasn't at all disturbed that Uryuu had a fiancé was beyond her, but now that she was in this situation, she might as well milk it for what it was worth. "That's wonderful, Ishida."

Behind Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo shared a look.

"I thought it was Ishida and Arisawa that were pretending there was nothing going on," Keigo whispered, and Mizuiro's nodded in agreement.

After an awkward pause in which Uryuu remained uncomfortably silent, Tatsuki remembered her manners. "Well, perhaps you can show Nakamura-san where the living room is. I'm sure you would both be more at ease in there."

"Actually, we won't be staying long," Ayame said briskly, her smile now becoming impatient. She stroked Uryuu's arm, and Tatsuki couldn't help but feel it was a show of possession. "I told my mom that we would be visiting her tonight."

Knowing that the quicker he got Ayame away from the store, the better, Uryuu just nodded. Hopefully he'd be able to use this to give himself more time to find a way to send her back to the States.

"Arisawa, would you be able to tell Orihime-san and Ichigo that I've left? I'll see them tomorrow morning."

"Sure," Tatsuki said, somewhat pitying him. She tried not to judge his fiancé as a possessive bimbo when she gave everybody what was clearly a falsely happy grin and an impudent wave goodbye as she pulled Ishida away from them.

"Strange," Kisuke murmured.

He was watching the departing couple, and Tatsuki turned her attention to him. "What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing!" he responded as he fanned himself. "Just a thought that I had."

Tatsuki narrowed her eyes at him. "Just make sure it's not something any of us will regret if you keep it to yourself."

"Ouch, Tatsuki-chan! Don't project your anger at me!" he teased. She blushed, and tried to sputter a protest, but he waved his fan in front of her face before she could get a word in edgewise. "Perhaps we need to give you a little push the way we did Ichigo and Orihime at the beach!"

"Baka! Orihime nearly got eaten by some octopus looking hollow then!"

Mizuiro snorted at the memory and nudged Keigo. "Didn't you faint?"

"I did not!" Keigo responded indignantly. "I fell down when Tatsuki shrieked in my ear!"

As Tatsuki turned her attention to her two friends, Kisuke remained silently pensive and wondered about the Quincy's fiancé.

-0-0-0-0-

When Kakei opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see his father. He could feel the older man's presence making way towards his room. He'd been hoping Ichigo was going somewhere else.

"We need to talk," Ichigo said curtly as he walked inside. "Forget that you can't seem to stand me for one minute and talk to me. Tell me exactly what Mamoru told you."

"What are you talking about? Didn't you hear him admitting to killing Aunt Yuzu?"

"I was more focused on making sure you hadn't taken a bite off of more than you could  
chew," he responded, unable to help himself. Somehow, this kid just got under his skin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora demanded.

Ichigo softened his voice, knowing that arguing counterproductively would get them nowhere. "It means that whoever that Mamoru was, he was stronger than you. You know that too."

Unwilling to admit that his father was correct, Sora just scowled before turning away from him and sitting on the bed.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?"

"That guy said that he…that he killed Yuzu, to save her soul. Do you remember?"

"I was there! Of course I remember!"

"He said there was a kidou attached to his zanpakuto that allowed the wielder to save the soul."

"I'm not exactly inclined to believe whatever he had to say. He could have just been bullshitting his way out of a fight for all we know."

"I agree. I'm also not too thrilled that some jerk is making a move on my sister, especially one that's going to end up…" Ichigo couldn't bring himself to say the words. "Remember how Renji found some broken pieces, which Hinamori-fukotaichou just confirmed to be some kind of kidou?"

"You're really going to believe what he said?" the young man asked incredulously. "I can't believe you're willing to buy into this so easily."

Ichigo tried to keep his impatience and temper in check, and reminded himself that he was the supposed to be the grown up between the two of them. "Pretend Mamoru never said anything for a second. We already know that the pieces Renji found contain a kidou. And you said so yourself that there is a disc attached to their Zanpakuto. If both information is correct, then there's a possibility that what that bastard said is true."

Understanding dawned on Sora as he stared at his father. He decided to set aside his anger for the moment and work together with him. For Aunt Yuzu. "We need to discover how to use that kidou. If we can find out how we can stop the soul poison or become immune to it…"

Ichigo nodded, pleased that Sora had picked up on it too. "Then we'll be one step closer in defeating Seishiro."

-0-0-0

**End chapter.**

**Another chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Comments and reviews are much appreciated! **

**Lord Jaric: hehehe! It was too good not to add the grounding in! Nypsy: Thank you! Father and son will work things out... eventually :) FoG: I hope you enjoyed the IchiHime scene in this chapter, I am putting more of them in! Ichihime Supporter: Hope you are finished with your exams! Hope you liked this chapter. Xtremefairy: Correct, Sora's still not going to be a Yuzu/Mamoru supporter anytime soon! Miwa03: I hope you enjoyed their interaction here as well. The Dessa: lol! Wait till you read the companion to the Mamoru/Yuzu interlude! hannehbuns: All good! School work takes top priority! **


	14. Chapter 11

**This fic would not have been possible if it wasn't for my beta EternalDream, who is made of pure awesomeness!**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 11

"No."

Renji sighed at the youngest captain Soul Society had ever seen. "With all due respect, Hitsugaya-taichou, you don't have the authority to decide whether or not Hinamori gets involved."

"And it's yours?" Toushiro countered, and before he could say anything else, Shinji coughed.

"When you've both finished deciding what my fukotaichou can or can't do, perhaps you both would like to ask her what she wants."

"It's alright, Shiro-kun. I want to help," Momo said with a smile as she touched his hands for encouragement. "It's fine."

Kakei did his best not to look at the lone female in the room. He'd seen her from time to time. Had heard stories about her mastery of kidou. There was something about the way she moved, almost as if she was surrounded with an aura of vulnerability that made him stare. He only looked away when he felt his uncle—or rather, his future uncle to be more precise—give him a glare that was colder than Hyorinmaru. The last time he remembered seeing her, she was being escorted to the Shrine of Penitence, not to be executed, but to be held until Soul Society received full information. When the attack first occurred, and they thought it was Aizen, her loyalty was questioned, and the only thing that had stopped Uncle Toushiro from retaliating was his Aunt Karin's pregnancy. He gave a curious look at the man with the "69" tattoo. He had never formally met the man, but wherever Hinamori-fukotaichou was, the man was not that far behind.

When Momo finally got her best friend to relent, she opened the book Aizen gave her for everyone to see.

"That's the book that Aizen gave you," Renji commented, a slight question in his voice.

She nodded her head. She took out the pieces from the disc that they'd found before.

"As you can see, the disc is not complete, but we can already tell that this image is a butterfly. We only have a part of it, but it's enough for us to learn some things," she explained as she lightly traced her hands on the red line that formed one of the wings. "If we read this incantation..." Her voice was soft now as she chanted. Her other hand hovered over the page, and her eyes closed in concentration. "'_Wings of Psyche, release the light from the cocoon you have created_.'"

Everyone watched in fascination as the black mark over the words disappeared, only for it to appear again.

"If I read that incantation along with this," Momo continued, pointing pointed to another part of the wings, "watch what happens. '_Wings of Psyche, release the light from the cocoon you have created and lead me to the path of the Morning Star_.'"

The black mark disappeared, and everyone looked at the page as they read a passage regarding a kidou that could bind two souls together for a short period of time, allowing the caster to inflict pain or death if applied correctly.

Momo turned to another page. "However, if I use this incantation here..." She pointed at the kidou on the legs of the butterfly. "'_Bind the darkness of the night Quetzalcoatl and destroy the light with your hands_.'"

Another passage with a black mark disappeared, along with the words.

"Wow," Kakei breathed, completely impressed with her skills. "How did you figure out that there's a connection between the book and the disc?"

She closed the book and held her hand out to Kakei. He tried not to gulp or shiver as a chill tingled down his spine from Toushiro's icy glare as Momo lightly guided his hands over the pattern.

"You can't see it, but you can feel it, correct?"

"A butterfly!"

She nodded and handed the book to Renji, who traced the pattern as well.

"How could Aizen have gotten hold of this book?" Ichigo asked as he traced the pattern with his own hands before returning the book to Momo. "Did he say why he gave you this?"

She shook her head. "I don't know how he got this book." She was silent for a moment, debating if she should state her suspicions, but there was no reason for her to protect her former taichou's character anymore by not acknowledging his manipulations. She had no misgivings about his character, and she certainly didn't want to feel any more loyalty to the man who'd tried to murder herself and everybody she loved. "If I had to guess, I think he was testing me to see if I could unlock the kidou. To see if I would figure it out quickly."

"But why?" Renji questioned. "I mean, yeah, sure, we get to find out about all these other kidou that exist thanks to this book, but without knowing how to cast them, they're totally useless."

Momo looked at Shinji, who nodded his head in confirmation.

"There's a book in A-aizen's personal library," she explained. If anybody noticed her hesitation with saying his last name, they gave no indication. She was grateful for that. "I saw it once. It was a book of fables, and it had a red butterfly on the cover. When I first saw it, I was drawn to it immediately. There was something underneath the words...I could see it shimmering, but I never investigated the matter because I was too respectful of Aizen's things at the time to do so. That book was very similar to the book that he ended up giving me, only, instead of passages being blatantly blacked out, there were words on top of them."

"You believe this book will give us what we need to fight the kidou of the soul poison?" Toshirou asked, his face grave and giving no other indication of how he was feeling.

"I am assuming so, yes. He wouldn't have called it his 'favorite book' if it had only contained fables. That's not how he was. You remember…there always had to be something deeper, like a puzzle."

"But why couldn't he just give you the other book straight out?"

Momo just gave Kakei a small smile, and he wondered how it was possible for one's eyes to look so sad even if they had a smile on their face. "I don't think he ever really trusted me. He just wanted to test me to see if I can unlock the kidou in the book that he gave me. I'm sure if I had been successful, he would have found an even more sinister purpose for me, so I guess it's a good thing I failed..."

"But what happened to the other book?"

"I don't know." Momo replied, shrugging delicately. "Since his defect, all of his belongings have been sequestered by the council. I don't know what they did with them."

"Maybe we can ask Byakuya-taichou to get the council's approval to search through Aizen's old things," Renji said, thinking out loud. "Whatever hasn't been destroyed, anyway. Do you think you could do the same thing with the other book if we find it? This whole chanting the spells to see what lies beneath part?"

"I could, though it's risky. If I say the wrong incantation, we may lose whole passages completely, or we may set in motion an unstoppable, destructive kidou. But," she sighed heavily, "as it stands, without the whole disc, it's the best chance we've got."

"Would the whole disc really be able to tell us how it can destroy a soul?"

"There is that possibility, too. The way their kidou is designed, it can only be used by someone who knows the correct incantations. For outsiders, like us…we can only guess. From what I've seen with this half of the disc, the kidou they have devised is limitless in what it can do if properly harnessed."

Renji nodded his head in understanding. Finding the other book seemed to be their best option in this case. "I will go and see Byakuya-taichou. Hopefully, he can help us with the council and the book. The sooner we can get our hands on that other one, the better off we will be."

-0-0-0-0-

The information Mamoru gave them was even more significant than he'd first thought, and Ichigo could not believe that he would have imparted such vital information so casually. It hadn't sound like a slip of the tongue, either, so he tried to think of possibly scenarios as to why he'd have given him and his son such huge hints.

He looked at Yuzu and Karin, who were busy preparing lunch for everyone. After their disastrous and failed trip to do some grocery shopping, Tatsuki and Ishida were tasked with getting what they needed for the week. Which was how the Quincy had been tracked via Foursquare as he'd recounted Ayame's appearance.

To know that his sister would die… Despite that Mamoru had claimed that he was saving his sister's soul, Ichigo felt that he should've been there to protect her. _Where the hell was he at_? Sipping tea with some Tibetan monks? At a Shaolin monastery reading passages from the the _Zhuangzi_ and _The Art of War_ in his spare time? In some remote village in the Western Ghats? He was beginning to understand the anger his son had towards his future counterpart.

"Well, at least you and Sora got something useful out of your little excursion yesterday."

Ichigo whirled around. His father was walking towards him at a leisure pace.

"Do you really believe what Mamoru said?"

"I probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for Hinamori-fukotaichou's brilliant sleuthing skills," Isshin replied. "Had she said there was nothing to gain from the disc we got, then no, I probably wouldn't believe him." He gave his son a once-over. "Did you fight Mamoru yesterday?"

"No," he shook his head. "Just Sora. I didn't want to butt in unless it was necessary. And thankfully, it hadn't been."

"Would it have been necessary if the fight had gone on longer?"

Ichigo didn't speak at first, considering the answer, but eventually he nodded his head, remembering the first time he'd lost to Renji and to Byakuya. "I don't know how much training's Sora's done, but it wouldn't be near enough if he decided to take Mamoru on again. He was already having difficulty fighting Mamoru, and that bastard was holding back the entire time."

Isshin paused in concern. "You're sure he was holding back?"

"Yes, absolutely." He had enough battle experience that he knew blatant defensive and offensive tactics like the back of his hand. It was easy to figure out when somebody wasn't seriously fighting. "For the most part, he was just dodging Sora. He didn't seem interested in fighting."

"Everyone, lunch is ready!" Yuzu called out, interrupting the conversation.

Isshin tried to give his son a surprise, swift kick to the back of the head, which Ichigo avoided by grabbing his father's arms and throwing him over his shoulders in reflex.

"Seriously?" Ichigo cried out, scowling. How long had it been since his father tried these shenanigans on him? He refused to let the warmth of familiarity in his heart show on his face.

Isshin on the other hand stayed on the floor, enthusiastically commending Ichigo for his defensive fighting prowess, and was ignored by everyone who stepped over him to get something to eat outside.

-0-0-0-0-

After the group finished eating, Yuzu volunteered to clean up and was surprised when Karin stayed behind. The twins assured Orihime that they were fine, and that she should take Sora up for his nap. She'd smiled her sweet, grateful smile at both of them and took her baby into a private room.

Yuzu glanced briefly at her twin, who looked as if she was debating if she should say something. The blonde didn't have to wait too long before her younger twin broke the silence.

"So." She said no more, almost as if she was waiting for her twin to reply.

Yuzu smiled knowingly at Karin as she gathered the dirty paper plates and threw them in the garbage bag next to the picnic table. "Yes, Karin?" she patiently answered.

"Sora-chan said that—" Karin stopped from calling Mamoru an obscene name. "—that, um, man came to save you yesterday."

"Mamoru..." Yuzu whispered softly, not looking at her sister. She busied herself by picking up more paper plates to throw away.

Karin frowned. When Yuzu told her and Orihime what had happened, there was something about the way her twin said described the events that had irked her.

"Yes. That guy." That vile, murderous cretin. "What do you think of him?"

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I mean, I know what he'll do to me... that he'll..."

"Kill you?" Karin finished for her, and Yuzu just nodded.

"I know that. I'm not blind or deaf to it. But…there's something about him, Karin. I can't explain it." She shrugged helplessly, at a loss for words. "When I looked at him, I didn't feel afraid like I should be, knowing what he'll do to me. There was something about the way that he looked at me when he was healing my leg… So. I don't know."

Karin did her best not to give into the urge to leap from behind the table to shake her sister and remind her that Mamoru was their enemy. An enemy that was family to a bunch of vicious killers.

"You actually like him, don't you?" Karin said, knowing her question was already answered but unable to believe that Yuzu could feel something for someone she barely knew—someone that they knew full well they could never trust.

"I don't know!" Yuzu repeated urgently. It was the truth. She didn't know how to explain it, there was just something about the way that he looked at her. She didn't understand what she felt; she just knew it wasn't fear, and it wasn't bad.

"Yuzu—snap out of it! This isn't one of your shojou mangas! His brothers tried to kidnap Hime-nee, remember? That girl tried to kill her. They're trying to hurt Sora, for goodness sake. They invaded Soul Society in the future and murdered a bunch of innocent people with some twisted soul-killing poison. Quit thinking that this is like one of your tragic love dramas that will have a happy ending despite the obstacles, because it isn't!"

"I'm not!" Yuzu responded hotly, slamming her hands down on the table. She rarely got this angry, but enough was enough. She glared at her twin. "I know who he is. I know what his family has done. I know what he did to me in the future." She resumed cleaning up her side of the table, just to give her hands something to do because she wasn't sure what she might do if they were left unoccupied. "You asked me what I felt. I was just being honest."

"Then quit acting like you've gone off to dreamland every time his name is mentioned!"

"I'm not!" Yuzu repeated, tension clear in her voice, and Karin just scowled.

"Yes, you are! They way you were talking about him last night was just freaky! I mean seriously, Yuzu! What do you expect will happen? That he's going to jump to our side, and then you'll both fall madly in love with each other?"

"I'm not expecting anything from him!" she snapped back. She was so angry; she could feel tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I told you, I don't know what I think, or what I feel about him. You asked me a question, and I answered it! I've never lied to you, Karin. I've always thought that I can tell you anything, and you wouldn't judge me. Looks like I was seriously mistaken!" Clearly agitated, she brushed away the tears that had started to fall before storming away from her twin, disappointment clear in her aura.

Karin just froze on the spot and wiped her own tears away as she felt guilty for hurting her twin sister.

"Your words were completely unwise."

Karin glared at the white haired Shinigami that was calmly making his way towards her.

"You were eavesdropping on our conversation?"

"No." Toushiro replied. "We all heard you."

At the realization that their conversation had not been private at all, Karin turned even redder, and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Yuzu is being irrational," she defended herself, "over a man she just met, and a over a man she knows will kill her, and whose brothers are also trying to kill us. I'm just worried about her!" She lowered her voice. "She can be very naïve at times…I don't want to see her get hurt or killed. I couldn't handle that."

"Then you need to show your concern through other means," Toushiro replied sagely, understanding Karin's situation.

With a snort, she crossed her arms over her chest. "And you would know all about this because..." She regretted the words as soon as she said them when the young captain looked at her pointedly, a shadow crossing over his face.

"I know full well how it feels to see the person you care about so much that it hurts, the person you've grown up with all your life, devote their heart to someone who is completely undeserving of their loyalty and their affections."

"I...I'm sorry." Karin said, ashamed. She uncrossed her arms. "I should never have said anything."

Toushiro sighed and shrugged, shaking his head. "I know exactly how you feel, but forcing on her what you think she should do or feel will only isolate her from you."

"What should I do, then?" Karin asked desperately. Her eyes remained locked on the young man's face. He looked lost in his own haunted thoughts. It took him a few moments to find the right words to say.

"You can only be there for her. You and your family can physically keep her safe and make sure that her fate changes from the one that Kakei has seen. What you cannot stop is how she feels. It will hurt you, and it will frustrate you that she does not see this man the same way that you do, but it is how she feels."

Karin tried not to tear her hair out of frustration. "But she knows he's one of them! I don't understand how she could be confused about what she feels for him!"

"The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing of..."

Karin locked eyes with him. She was familiar with the quote—Blaise Pascal. "They teach human English Literature in Soul Society?"

"No," he said, a slight smile ghosting his lips. "Jyuushiro-taichou mentioned that to me when Hinamori..." Toshirou stopped and took a deep breath. "The point is, we can't stop them from feeling what they are feeling. But if you continue to push on her what _you_ think she should feel, she may stop trusting that she can tell you anything." Karin stayed silent, and Toshirou gazed out the window. "Go to your sister. Apologize. Let her speak her mind about what her heart really feels, and make no comments or judgments. Just let her speak."

"I will," she replied quietly. "I just need to cool down first."

The young captain nodded his head in acceptance and made his way back inside Urahara's compound.

"Toshirou-kun," Karin called, just as his foot stepped over the threshold. "Thank you."

Toshirou stopped, turned, waved his hand in acknowledgment, and then walked inside.

Karin sighed, feeling drained after all of that, and plopped down on the table bench. Right. She needed a game plan. Step one? Calm down. Step two? Find Yuzu. Step three? Apologize for her behavior. Step four…? Beg Yuzu for forgiveness until she gave in.

**End Chapter**

**The Dessa: Hope I'm still keeping you interested! Next post will be the interlude. **

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**Xtremefairy: Thanks! Hope you liked this one too!**

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**Till next time!**


	15. Interlude: Yuzu

**This chapter is dedicated to all who has fallen in love with Yuzu and Mamoru, especially The Dessa and my beta EternalDream who seems to know this fic better than I do!**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

The Ties That Binds  
Interlude: Yuzu

"Are you thinking about your boyfriend, Yuzu-nee?" Yuzu blushed as she looked at Sora, who grinned at her, Zanpakuto sheathed across his back as he sat down next to her. "Don't you worry, Yuzu-nee! I'll fix whatever mess Soul Society got themselves into and bring you back straight to his arms!"

"Sora!" Yuzu cried out, completely embarrassed. Her nephew just laughed, and Yuzu tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She really did miss Mamoru. Just as she was about to ask him if he wanted to meet her family, she was whisked to Soul Society along with everyone else in her family for safety reasons.

"So. Are you going to tell me about him?" Sora asked, and Yuzu just took a deep breath.

"I met him in the park near work. He's…he's very special to me," Yuzu admitted softly as she recounted the first time she met Mamoru Taira.

Yuzu had never considered herself as being a particularly 'forward' woman. Asking a man out on the date, making the first move—that was not in her vocabulary until she met him. When she confided to her friend Ami about the mysterious man she met at the park, Ami had grinned and clapped her hands.

_"Finally! I never thought the day would come when you'd find a man attractive. Go for it, Yuzu-chan! Ask him out and be a woman of this century!"__  
_  
"How come you never brought him over? Actually, scratch that, it's probably a good idea you didn't. Grandpa would've sent him running the other direction!"

Yuzu laughed, though somehow she knew her father would never have been able to intimidate him.

"What makes him special? Cause you know, I should be the one to determine if he is special enough for my Yuzu-nee or not!"

"I don't know, Sora-chan. Why don't you tell me how special Hisana-chan is?"

At the mention of his friend's name, Sora turned red and scowled. "There's nothing special about her! And besides," he paused for a moment to fish around for a reason to not have to explain himself or think of his pretty friend, "we're…we're not talking about me! We're talking about you!"

"There's just something about him," Yuzu shrugged. "I never imagined I would meet someone while taking a walk around the park. He was just sitting there, dressed in black, and his crows came to me."

"Crows?" Sora questioned, and Yuzu nodded her head.

"He said they were a gift from his grandfather. Phobos and Deimos."

"The crows made him special?" Sora wrinkled his nose. "You're weird, Yuzu-nee."

"No, it wasn't his crows," she responded softly, looking at the clear blue sky above them.

Before she met Mamoru, Yuzu had always felt guilty for being jealous. She knew it was wrong, especially when her family's gift was almost like a curse, but it was one of the reasons she chose to study veterinary science instead. With animals, there was very little possibility of being followed by a number of souls that she could not see. Karin would complain about the number of souls that followed Yuzu home that had to be cleansed by a stand-by team of Shinigamis. While she would probably never have the same spiritual capabilities as the rest of her family, ever since Sora's birth, she could at least see the other Shinigamis without their gigai.

Still, she felt out of place in her own family, and she felt guilty for that. She knew she was loved by them all, but she could not stop another twinge of jealousy, one for the loss of romance, no matter how happy she was that Karin had found happiness with Hitsugaya Toushiro. He made her sister happy, and she was glad. And now that she had found somebody of her own, it eased much of the ache that had existed in her chest. Perhaps she would even stop feeling less adequate than her family.

"I can't really explain it, Sora. But there was…something…about the way that he looked at me that made me feel different."

The three months that she had known Mamoru had been the best of her life. She did not even hesitate to give him the locket her mother gave to her as a gift before she died. For the first time in her life, Yuzu felt complete as a woman. There was something about the way he held her hand, the way that he kissed her, that made her heart flutter. His voice, deep and smooth warmed her, and his eyes were so vividly green she could get lost in them.

Yuzu's thoughts was broken by Sora, who was pretending to gag beside her. She simply laughed and ruffled his hair. "One day, you'll know how it feels like too."

"I doubt it. So, does this mystery man have a name?"

"Mamoru." Yuzu replied with a smile. "Mamoru Taira."

"Taira? Mamoru Taira?"

She turned to see Sora who looked pale, his eyes narrowed in anger and she could feel a strange sensation of fury from her nephew.

"Sora-chan," she asked hesitantly, "what's wrong?"

"Mamoru Taira." He went silent for a moment, unable to choke the words out in his anger. "He's one of the brothers from the clan that we are fighting against."

At his response, Yuzu let out a laugh, relieved that that was all her nephew was angry at. "That's not possible, Sora-chan. Surely it's a coincidence. Remember when I brought Misa Kuchiki home for our study session? Daddy and Rukia were sure that the name was just a coincidence and that Misa didn't have any spiritual power at all."

Sora just continued to frown, a surname he could agree to a coincidence. But to have the full name? Before he could say anything else, an alarm pierced the peacefulness around them, and Sora quickly got up and saw his Uncle Renji running towards them.

"Sora! Get your Aunt Yuzu to the closest division headquarters. The Taira clan have breached the walls of Seritae!"

Without even waiting for Yuzu to say anything, Sora grabbed her hand, and they made their way away from the park, but their path was soon blocked by a man in red attire, similar to what the Shinigami wore.

"Who the hell are you?" Sora demanded as he manoeuvred his body to stand protectively in front of his aunt.

"You can call me Hideyoshi," the man responded pleasantly, his hands on the hilt of his Zanpakuto that was still sheathed across his waist. "I have heard so much about you, Sora Kurosaki." His eyes drifted behind Sora, and he slowly drew his Zanpakuto from its scabbard. "Although, nothing much is known about you, Yuzu Kurosaki."

"Hey! Don't even look at her! I'm the one you want to fight with!" Sora snapped as he drew his own Zanpakuto from behind.

With a laugh, Hideyoshi charged, and the two fought, and Yuzu realized that Sora was moving the fight away from her.

"Mama!"

She swirled around and saw a young child who was running, a tattered doll in her hand as she ran around looking for her mother. Yuzu knew her nephew can take care of himself, the young girl on the other hand…

When the child stumbled, she quickly ran towards the girl and scooped her up in her arms. She had just begun running to the nearest building she could see when yet another figure blocked her path, also in a red uniform, who grabbed her arms and pulled her roughly towards him. She released the child in her arms who looked at the man in fear.

"Run!" Yuzu yelled.

The child just sniffled and ran away, and Yuzu's attention was brought back to the man who shook her.

"Where is Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"I don't know," she bit out.

"Liar!" His fist connected with her face, and she fell to the ground. She looked up at her attacker who pulled her up again. "You expect me to believe that your brother would not reveal his location to his family?"

"I don't know where he is," she repeated firmly as she tried to struggle from his grasp.

The man sneered and pressed his blade to her face. "Pity. I guess you'll be of no use to us then," he said and pressed his Zanpakuto deeper to her face, giving her a small cut across her cheek before dropping her to the ground. "Enjoy your last moments, Kurosaki."

Yuzu stood up and winced in pain as her hands traced the slash on her face. It wasn't too deep, but she would not be able to stop the flow of blood easily without a basic first aid kit. The sword that'd cut her had been razor sharp, after all. Before she could walk, another figure wearing red blocked her path. She looked up, and felt her heart stop as she realized who was standing in front of her.

"Mamoru?"

She remembered Sora's words not a half hour earlier, and her heart felt like it was about to break as she stared into his eyes. She tried to move away from him, but he was too fast and he gently held her face as he examined the gash she'd received.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded. His voice still had that smooth and deep tone she had loved, but there was an underlying hardness that she had never heard before.

"I don't know," she responded, backing away from him slowly. "You! You're one of them!" She didn't want to believe it, but she wasn't the type of woman who could hold onto a lie or try to rationalize situations when the truth was right before her eyes. Mamoru Taira was a Shinigami, the one who's clan was out invading Soul Society and killing innocent people. He reached out to her, but she jerked back, intending to sprint to the left to try and evade him. Fuzziness filled her head, and she began to slide to the ground. She must have lost more blood that she realized, she thought, otherwise she wouldn't feel so faint. She didn't even have the strength to stop Mamoru from picking her up. Her arms and legs began to feel like a dead weight.

Mamoru carried her in his strong arms, arms she had loved to hold onto as they strolled through the park, and Yuzu could only close her eyes as she felt like they were flying. She could barely keep her eyes open as he gently laid her down on the grass. She looked at him, and there was something about the way that he looked at her that made her feel afraid for the first time since she'd met him. And there was a sick feeling of doubt pooling in her gut, that perhaps her feelings were not really reciprocated as she had once thought them to be.

"Was that why you kept coming to the park? For my brother, Ichigo? Because I'm a Kurosaki?"

"Yes."

That one little word broke her heart even more, and she started to cry. She looked away from him, not wanting him to see her misery, and she tried to wriggle from his grasp, but he wouldn't let her. All those times—the way he looked at her, held her, kissed her—it was all a lie. That hurt her more badly than knowing their families were at war with one another.

Her body felt almost completely numb, and she swallowed her pride to ask him, "What's happening…?" She couldn't even finish the words. She'd only received a small gash on her face. Surely a wound that small and shallow could not be lethal. But she could feel a strange sensation creeping over her body, and she could only look at Mamoru with despair and fear as he brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. Perhaps the tip of the blade had been poisoned? She'd read mangas where the samurai had poisoned-tipped swords.

"I am sorry, Yuzu," he whispered in her ears. He leaned down to lips press gently to her lips, and she could feel the rhythm of his heart against her chest.

She looked at the eyes of the man she had fallen in love with, and never saw or felt the pain when he plunged his Zanpakuto in her chest. She only saw the blade as he withdrew it from her body, and she saw the stark regret in his eyes. She just knew in hear heart he wasn't trying to kill her faster—it felt like he was putting her down to ease her pain, as they sometimes had to do at the veterinarian clinic to old and sick animals. His face remained grim and stoic, and looked borderline ashen. It gave her the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing the forefront of her mind since she found out the reason he kept on meeting her in the park. Perhaps she was being hasty in thinking he hadn't really cared for her... With nothing left to lose, she found her voice.

"Did you even…really love me?" she whispered.

He did not speak, but he nodded his head, and Yuzu felt a flood of relief. Their time together hadn't been all a lie. She smiled weakly as he held her tighter, his hands cradled her face again as her vision began to blur. It might have been foolish to believe him after everything, but as she felt him hold her hand and kiss her palms, she knew that he had told her the truth.

She felt Sora on a spiritual level even before she heard him scream in rage.

"Don't hurt Sora-chan, ne?" she breathed, barely able to get the words out. He nodded wordlessly again, and the last thing Yuzu Kurosaki saw before she died were the eyes of the man she loved.

-0-0

**End Chapter**

**Anna: Thank you! More Orihime soon!  
Ichihime supporter: Thanks :) glad I can do something positive for you, and more IchiHime later.  
Xtremefairy: Karin was a little harsh, but they will be fine soon!  
Magdalena88: Yep... in due time! Sora's going to know a little bit more.  
Ermilus: Thank you!  
nypsy: Momo will be in and out of chapters! Thanks for liking what I did with her character! I couldn't resist adding Hisagi to the mix!**

**And again, thank you all for reading and reviewing! Please continue in doing so! Your reviews make my day too!**


	16. Chapter 12

**A special thanks to EternalDream for being an awesome beta! And for amending the end of this chapter, to clarify a minor detail :)**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 12

Mamoru moved with grace that one would never associate with lethalness, though he was powerful enough that he was quite deadly if need be. As his body moved to perform a kata he had learned many years ago, his mind replayed his final moments with his beloved Yuzu.

"Don't hurt Sora-chan, ne?"

One day, it would be unavoidable for him to break his promise. Seishiro was getting impatient, and he knew that sooner or later, he will launch another attack at Karakura from the past.

He stopped his movements before he took a deep breath to clear his mind. As he began another set of kata, he ignored the presence in the room that had been observing him for a while now. He moved with such precision, each strike of his fists could cause an enemy to be maimed or killed should he ever use it in combat.

He knew his words to Sora could be considered treason. To let the boy know about the kidou attached to their Zanpakuto meant he could figure out how to stop it—and also how to use it. However, he had never believed from the beginning that the war was necessary, nor had he ever agreed to use the soul poison against anyone. And he knew Sora was a good kid with a good, gentle mother and aunt. He'd never use the soul poison against anybody who didn't truly deserve it.

The poison had originally been designed as the ultimate form of execution and punishment for an individual who had been proven to have committed a crime against the Royal Family. It had never been intended that it should be used for needless reasons, like war. He would protect his clan, die for his brothers even, but he would not allow the unnecessary destruction of a soul simply because it could be done.

"Is there anything you need from me, Nadeshiko?" he said, finally addressing his observer, her presence unwanted in the training room.

The woman stepped away from the shadows and narrowed her eyes at the youngest Taira. "What have you been doing in Karakura?"

Mamoru did not respond, but continued with the steps of his kata.

Nadeshiko's blue eyes glinted. She had always suspected Mamoru was hiding something. Kusanagi and Jiro had tried to follow Mamoru under orders from his eldest brother, but his crows had always gotten in the way. Mamoru was always alerted to their presences, and, being somebody who excelled in the use of ninja-like kidou, his movements and whereabouts had remained unknown. All they could tell was that he was departing for Karakura. It was possible he was going elsewhere out of the town, but Nadeshiko and most of the others doubted this.

"If you think you can get away with whatever you are planning, you are mistaken. Seishiro-sama will find out sooner or later."

"I am not planning anything," Mamoru replied truthfully. All he wanted was to see Yuzu again, and to make sure that she was alright. It was foolish, he knew—the girl was still years away from the woman he had fallen in love with—but he could not stop himself from watching her, just to make sure she was safe.

When it was clear to him that Nadeshiko was not going to leave him alone or accept the truth, he ended his kata and took a towel from the bench to wipe away the sweat that had collected on his finely toned muscles.

"The seals you've created in the past may keep us hidden to your movements, but this is ridiculous, Mamoru! We are more than capable of launching an attack at Soul Society in this time! Going back in the past did not help our cause, but we can fight them here, so you need to stop whatever it is you are doing and focus on the here and now."

"I have told my brothers many times, I will not engage in battle with Soul Society. We have lived a good life, free from their politics and pointless protocol."

"The throne of Soul Society belongs to your clan!" she argued vehemently. It made no sense to her why Mamoru didn't view this war the same way everybody else did. "Don't you remember how we were all banished? Paraded around like criminals… We have the right to clear our name!"

"And how does waging war accomplish that? Do you honestly believe that they'll just hand over the throne? Even if we did win and reclaimed the throne, that would not end this war. We will spend years, risking many lives, to hold on to something that is just not worth it."

"Not worth it…? You call restoring the honor of your clan unworthy?"

"Where is the honor in destroying souls!" Mamoru snapped, and Nadeshiko's eyes narrowed.

"Necessary collateral damage," she replied coldly.

Mamoru shook his head at her foolishness and slung the towel over his shoulders. He knew she believed every word she said.

"I will never forgive Yamamoto and the other clans for what they have done. But to reclaim the throne through this method will never restore the honor of our clan. It will only tarnish it more."

Nadeshiko crossed her arms across her chest and peered closely at Mamoru. "You are really not going to join in an offensive strike against Soul Society?"

Mamoru held her stare and shook his head. "We have already lost many of our men—precious brothers, allies, and friends. I will not condone or actively participate in any actions that would lose us even more."

Having nothing more to say on the matter, he walked out of the room without looking back. In doing so, he failed to realize that something had fallen out of his pocket. He never saw Nadeshiko pick up the item, nor did he see the calculating look in her eyes as she opened the locket he held as his most prized possession.

-0-0-0-0-

Ichigo woke up feeling a short, warm burst of reiatsu, as well as a kick to his face. He opened his eyes and stared at his son's foot and avoided another kick. Smiling slightly with patience and love, he maneuvered Sora's little body so he wasn't in a position to kick him anymore and glanced at Orihime as she peacefully slept. Sora gave another kick as he dreamed, and Ichigo watched in amusement as son's hands flailed before dropping back again and a tiny, gurgling giggle sounded from him. Ichigo smiled slightly. Whatever his son was dreaming about, it seemed to amuse him greatly. He caught Sora's hands just before he was hit in the face again.

He didn't think he could ever get used to this…how someone so small could already have so much power inside his tiny body. Had his father watched him and felt the same way when he'd been a baby? His eyes drifted back to Orihime, and his other hand gently brushed the long strands of hair away from her face. He could feel his hollow fighting for release from his cage, and for the first time since he'd been able to lock his hollow up, he wondered if he would be able to win against their new enemy. As much as he hated to attribute some of his victories to his hollow, he can't ignore the fact that transforming had helped him win many times in the past. Unfortunately, unlike Shinji and the other Vizards, his hollow was more than determined to take over, and he could not allow that to happen. Ever. His family was at stake. He'd jump into Hell before he allowed his hollow to hurt them.

Orihime's eyes fluttered open, and he was greeted with a smile. "Can't sleep?"

In between them, Sora's legs gave another kick, and the little boy let out a squeal of delight before turning his body towards Ichigo.

"He does this a lot?" Ichigo asked as his son settled besides him, his hands still in his father's grasps.

Orihime nodded. "Usually when he plays too much. I guess he had too much fun with everyone trying to get his attention."

Sora had definitely been spoiled for attention throughout the day, with friends and family showering him with attention.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just thinking," he shrugged. "I'm hoping Renji can find the other book, and that Hinamori can figure it out." Orihime stayed silent when Ichigo's hands intertwined through her hair. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes in pleasure. "If it's not Aizen, or some freak from Hell, there's always someone out there who wants any one of us dead, imprisoned, or used for something else." Ichigo let out a dry chuckle. "I guess this is as normal as it's going to get for us."

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, you'll see," Orihime said firmly as she gently took his hands and held them in hers. "We survived Aizen, didn't we? We will survive this one too."

"I don't know how to win without my hollow," Ichigo finally admitted with quiet acceptance. The words were bitter in his mouth, but he was relieved to say out loud what had lingered in his mind for so long. It was nice to finally confide in Orihime. He knew no better confidant.

"We'll find a way. I believe in you, Ichigo-kun."

He slowly inched closer to Orihime, and before Ichigo could kiss her, he winced as Sora's hands got in the way, slapping his neck. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it was enough for Orihime to laugh as she kissed Sora on the forehead before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

-0-0-0-0-

Seishiro Taira stood in the balcony of the guest house, his body tense as he waited for his guest to arrive. Things have not gone according to plan, and the time gate had malfunctioned, leaving him unable to travel to a different location in time to change the course of history.

"I am assuming that things are not going as well as you hoped?"

Seishiro turned around and watched the man he gave sanctuary to saunter closer.

"No, they are not," he replied curtly, and he elegantly turned away from Aizen Sosuke.

"Kurosaki is a very difficult boy," Aizen said softly. His voice was full of disdain.

"Are you referring to the father, or the son?"

"I imagine both of them would be," the former Shinigami taichou replied. "It is quite difficult for you to achieve what you want when a Kurosaki is in your way."

"My way? I was under the impression that you have something to gain as well, Aizen."

"You are correct. I'd be more than happy to step aside and watch someone else take rule over Soul Society. My goals now are much more personally oriented than yours. You seek the throne; I merely seek revenge."

Seishiro sneered, unwilling to believe that was all that drove Aizen. Time to cut to the point. "You requested to see me for a specific reason, did you not?"

"I did," Aizen replied with a congenial smile. "I was hoping you would grant me a request."

"And that would be…?" Seishiro left the question open as he turned to face Aizen. He was actually somewhat curious to know what it was.

"In exchange for some valuable information, I would like visit Karakura Town of the past. I think it's time I paid Ichigo and his friends another visit. I'm sure they've missed me as much as I have missed them."

Seishiro glared at Aizen. "What are you planning, Aizen? This is my fight against Soul Society. You had your chance, and you missed it!"

"On the contrary, Taira-sama. I'm merely offering my assistance," Aizen replied with mocking gentleness, his smooth smile turning into a calculating grin.

"I don't possibly see what valuable information you have that you can offer in exchange for using our time gates," Seishiro snapped rudely.

"You have discovered the reason why your youngest brother disappears to Karakura, have you not?"

Seishiro's jaw tensed at the tone Aizen used. As much as he distrusted the man before him, he knew that their temporary alliance would benefit his clan's war. Aizen's implication that he knew something the he did not, did not sit well with Seishiro.

At his silence, Aizen walked towards the balcony and looked outside the house. "I was curious. Wondering, even, how you planned on taking Orihime Inoue or her son to use them in your fight against Soul Society, when your own brother seems to be working against you."

Seishiro's Zanpkauto stopped a few inches away from Aizen's neck. "Speak carefully, Aizen."

Aizen didn't even appear bothered as he turned to face Seishiro.

"You know that he's been spending too much time in Karakura, with no offer of explanation to anyone. Surely you have been curious as to what has taken his undivided attention?"

"I am taking care of it."

"Are you?" Aizen asked with a smile. "Because I can offer you insight on what keeps your brother occupied in Karakura. Something your own men have been unable to do thus far." At Seishiro's brooding silence, Aizen continued. "It's been a while since I have seen what Ichigo Kurosaki is capable of, and I was curious to see how good a fighter his son has become. So I dispatched a few hollows to test them, and you can imagine my surprise at what I discovered instead." Seeing that he finally had Seishiro's full attention, Aizen smoothly moved the blade away from his neck. "Do we have an agreement, Taiara-sama? My discovery for a visit?"

Seishiro sheathed his Zanpakuto back into its saya. "Continue."

"Your brother seems to be quite taken with one Yuzu Kurosaki."

Seishiro tried to remember the name. He forced his face to remain impassive as he recalled that he had once read her name in passing. She was one of Ichigo's younger twin sisters. There was hardly any information on her. Since she had little to no spiritual energy, she had been immediately ruled out a possible threat, therefore making her unworthy of further scrutiny.

"Mamoru? You are telling me that my brother is going to Karakura to visit Kurosaki's sister?" Seishiro asked incredulously, unwilling to believe what he'd just been told. "Are you actually telling me that my brother is refusing to join the war against Soul Society for a child?"

"Your anger is understandable," Aizen said calmly. "But now that you know what occupies his mind and his time, I'd like to lay out my plans. I am certain this visit of mine will benefit us both."

"How exactly will your visit benefit me?" Seishiro demanded, his mind still on his brother.

Aizen gave a small, delighted smile. "I have seen with my own eyes the length Ichigo would go to for Orihime. How much he will push his humanity to the edge to protect her. I suspect you know this is also true in regards to their son?"

"You expect me to listen to and believe in you when you have failed yourself?"

"All I can ask is for you to listen. Hear my plan before you judge it, Taira-sama. I can assure you that it will not only work, but will greatly please you."

Seishiro weighed Aizen's words carefully. He would listen and see how much this ex-taichou's plan could assist him in reclaiming the throne. "I'm listening."

"Should we continue this conversation in your War Room? I believe one of your lieutenants has something to share with you."

Nadeshiko froze from the doorway when men looked in her direction. Clearing her throat, she said boldly, "I have something to report, Seishiro-sama."

Seishiro glanced back at Aizen momentarily before walking out, followed by Nadeshiko.

Aizen narrowed his eyes when the pair left, and his smile dropped. He'd been patient. Since losing his most trusted comrades, he had waited for this, biding his time again and again. Amongst all the clans that were banished from Soul Society, the Taira were the strongest and their tie to the throne was a motive he could and would happily exploit. He was more than content to let the foolish Seishiro Taira believe that a victory in Soul Society would grant him the throne that had been taken away from his family. He was going to allow Seishiro to think he was still the one in command, but when the time was right, and the Taira clan was of no use anymore, he was going to make his move and take his vengeance out on Soul Society and the residents of that pitiful little town.

He glanced behind to the figure standing in a different doorway than Seishiro and Nadeshiko had exited from. "Will you be coming with me?" he asked the man.

The younger Aizen—the one from his past timeline; the one who had eagerly agreed to join him on his quest for vengeance—walked towards him. "Of course," he replied. "I'm sure they will be happy to see me just as much."

The older Aizen smiled in sinister amusement, and they both made their way to the War Room. Victory was within their grasp. Soul Society would fall, and not even Ichigo Kurosaki could stop them now.

0-0-0

**Surprise!**

**Really... how could I not include Aizen? :) **

**His involvement in this whole fiasco will be explained throughout the remaining chapters! Your comments and reviews add extra inspiration :)**

**Cheesemaiden: Thanks for the comment! Trying to sprinkle some angst, but will try to balance it out later!  
melnel: Thank you... hope you enjoy this chapter too!  
The Dessa: Love you back! I hope you like what I'm planning next! Hehehe...  
IchiHime supporter: Seishiro's interest in Orihime will be in the next two or three chapters. I shall strive to keep the regular updates!  
Ermilus: Thank you, and hope you enjoy what's around the corner!  
nypsy: Thank you! There's a little IchiHime here for you, and more scenes soon!  
Xtremefairy: I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter, it was something I've planned after the other Interlude, just to show Yuzu's side of the story.  
Misha: Thank you! Appreciate your comment!**

**]**


	17. Chapter 13

**As always, muchos gracias to EternalDream for being my beta!**

**And I'd like to take this chance to say that Ch 12 was edited, I didn't write it well enough to show who the two Aizens were.**  
**So as not to confuse you is you don't want to read back, It's Aizen from the past and the future who are working together. There is a reason why I have the two of them together, but I can't tell you yet!**

**In saying that, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!  
**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply  
**

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 13

Byakuya Kuchiki listened to his second in command explain about what they'd discovered with interest. He knew that the council was still sorting through Aizen's belongings, looking for any clues to see if he'd had any more supporters within Soul Society or to find out any more secrets he may have been hiding. So far, no one was able to find a thing.

"How did Hinamori-fukotaichou describe the book?"

"It was old and grey, with a red butterfly on the cover."

"Nii-sama, what do you know of the Taira clan?"

Byakuya looked at his young sister-in-law for a moment before he responded. "There is not much known about the clan. There seemed to have been considerable efforts to wipe away their existence in our history. Everything we know would've been passed down through word of mouth. If Aizen had some of their books, there is a possibility there may be more scattered around Soul Society—ones he may have scattered himself, or ones he never found to begin with."

He knew the elders were getting restless. News of a time travel machine had not been well received, and with Kisuke Urahara no longer under the jurisdiction of Soul Society, it was hard for them to grasp how to deal with the situation at hand. The threat of the Taira also did not sit well to those who'd had a hand in their exile.

Byakuya stood up, and was followed by Rukia and Renji.

"I will speak with the council."

"Thank you, Nii-sama," Rukia bowed, feeling confident her brother-in-law would come through for them.

"Rukia."

"Yes?"

"Are you feeling well?" he asked directly. He had sensed something different about Rukia for a few days now. He was still unsure of how to broach his suspicion, but figured this was as good a time as any.

Rukia shrugged. Apart from feeling sick a few days and getting easily tired, she was fine. She hadn't been sick in a long time, but she had gotten sick often as a child living in the slums of Soul Society, so she hadn't really been too concerned with her condition. "I am. The Taira clan just worries me, that's all."

Renji, on the other hand, put a hand thoughtfully on his chin and watched the clouds pass by as he spoke. "Actually, you have been feeling a little more tired lately that usual, plus you seem to be eating a whole lot more." Rukia turned to glare at Renji, who missed her reaction. "You also look a little heavier—ouch! Fuck!" The redhead glared down at Rukia, momentarily forgetting who they were with. "What did you do that for? I was just concerned!"

"Shut up, Renji! I'm getting heavier?"

"I said you were just _looking_like you were getting heavier!" Renji defended himself.

As the two of them continued to bicker, Byakuya wrote a quick note and neatly folded the paper before he sealed it with a wax bearing the Kuchiki seal.

"Rukia, please bring this to Unohana-taichou."

Rukia grabbed the letter from him, bowed in respect whispering a quick thank you, and kicked Renji in the shins with a glare as she walked out.

"Abarai."

"Yes, taichou?"

"Go with her."

As the two disappeared from his sights, Byakuya sat down. If he suspicion was correct, this could be the only good news he would receive until they had resolve the issue with the Taira clan.

He'd recognized the book that Renji had described, and he also knew where it was located. Convincing the council would be the stumbling block that could prove difficult to overcome—possibly even fatal if they refused to cooperate. He was aware of how members of the council feared the power of the kidou wielded by the Taira clan, and to give access to that knowledge to someone such as Momo may be something they were not prepared to do considering her unfortunate past infatuation with Sosuke Aizen. It was going to be difficult, and unless they could find someone else who could unlock the kidou, the council would either need to trust Momo or leave themselves unprotected against the soul poison.

If worse came to worse, and the council could not be reasoned with, Byakuya was prepared to disobey orders once again for the first time in years. He would never leave his family unprotected ever again.

-0-0-0-0-

"Never overextend your thrust. It leaves you vulnerable. And you're off balance!" Ichigo instructed just as he swiped Kakei's Zanpakuto sideways with his own, causing the young boy to stumble.

Kakei's hands clenched the dust beneath him as he stood up. He remembered a time when all he wanted was for his father to train him, so he could be like him. Now, all he wanted was for him to shut up.

On the sidelines, Kisuke watched the training with interest. Ichigo still hadn't told them where he went exactly when he disappeared, but there was something more mature about him now.

"He seems to have much better control of his emotions. He's not that quick to anger anymore," Renji observed as he sat next to Kisuke. "Then again, Orihime isn't in danger, and that's usually what throws everything out the window."

Kisuke agreed with a nod and a slight grin. As impressive it was to see Ichigo patient and in control, the real test would be if he could retain that control should Orihime and his family be put in danger right before his eyes. He peered at Kakei carefully. He was quite certain that he knew the real identity of this Kakei. The hair color had thrown him off, but the more he observed the boy, the more he was positive his assumption was correct.

"Has Kuchiki-taichou provided you with any help?"

Renji nodded. "He said he'll look into it, he seems to know what I'm talking about and didn't ask too many questions." Renji replied before he frowned for a moment. The head of the fourth division seemed eager to get rid of him earlier, but since the woman was smiling, he didn't think anything would be wrong.

Kisuke turned his attention back to Ichigo and Kakei and waited for a few moments before he called Ichigo's attention.

"Ichigo." Ichigo turned around to face Kisuke, who instructed him, "Fight him like you mean it. You do him no favors by holding back."

"Are you insane?" Ichigo cried out. "He'll get hurt!"

"Hey! I'm not as weak as you think I am!" Kakei retorted.

"You didn't reach the level that you did because we took it easy on you. You want to teach him how to fight? Then do it properly. It is better for Kakei to be hurt in the training grounds than in a real fight where he could be killed."

"Kisuke has a point," Isshin added. "You've said that he was out of his depth fighting Mamoru. This is the best opportunity for him to improve."

"Fine," Ichigo muttered as he looked at Kakei.

Kakei barely had a chance to prepare himself when Ichigo attacked. His fast reflex saved him as he dodged his father, but could not regain control fast enough and found himself sprawled to the ground again.

The fight continued on, but every time Ichigo began to get aggressive, he would pull back. Deciding it was time to put his theory to the test, Kisuke looked at the red-headed man who'd shown up beside him.

"Renji, perhaps you can assist?"

"Is that a good idea?" Renji asked as he looked at Kisuke.

"Probably not," Kisuke admitted. "But if Ichigo won't push Kakei, then we will."

Renji looked at Isshin who nodded his head. "Alright," he agreed with some hesitation.

He hated to rain on Ichigo's parade, but the kid needed to be trained right. He walked carefully to the side and slowly unsheathed his Zanpakuto as he watched Ichigo move away from Kakei.

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

As soon as Ichigo heard Renji, his head snapped towards his friend, and he watched as Zabimaru's blades head straight for Kakei who looked unprepared for the attack. Just as Kakei made a move to block the attack, Ichigo used shunpo to reach Kakei and deflected the attack from his son.

"What the hell were you thinking, Renji?" Ichigo snapped as he glared at his friend.

"I could've taken care of it!" Kakei angrily cried out from behind Ichigo. He walked to his father's side and pushed him. "You always do this!"

"Ichigo! If you don't start training Kakei, I _will_take over his training," Kisuke threatened from the sidelines, and in an instant, everyone felt a dark burst of reiatsu.

"There's no fucking way I'm letting you train my son!"

His words were met with silence, and Kisuke nodded his head, his suspicions finally confirmed. "Just as I thought. No wonder you've been going easy on Kakei..."

Kakei stared at Ichigo's eyes. As soon as he felt the strange reiatsu, he was quite certain that for a moment, he saw a flash of amber in his father's brown eyes.

"SON?" Renji practically shouted as he started to see the resemblance between the two. "The hell, Ichigo! He even has your frown!"

Kakei suddenly became worried, and he looked at his grandfather who was making his way towards them.

"I'm sure we can keep this between all of us, right?"

Renji and Kisuke nodded in agreement and Isshin gave his attention to Ichigo.

"Ichigo. He needs to learn how to fight. If you don't do it, somebody else will."

"Before you begin, may I ask you a few questions?" Kisuke motioned to Kakei, who nodded. "Would you mind showing us your Zanpakuto?"

Kakei handed his Zanpakuto to Kisuke. He looked at it curiously. "Hmm...strange."

"I don't like that tone that you're using," Ichigo muttered, and Kisuke just handed it back to Kakei.

"What is the manifested spirit of your Zanpakuto?"

Kakei just shrugged. "Not exactly sure. I didn't care about all this until that bastard Seishiro showed up."

Isshin looked at his grandson. Despite not knowing the grown-up in front of him, his intuition was telling him Kakei wasn't exactly being truthful.

"There's no spiritual manifestation?" Kisuke asked, intrigued.

"I'm not sure if this counts. Tsubaki!

Everyone looked as Kakei's Zanpakuto glowed before a familiar spirit appeared before them.

"Isn't he supposed to be a part of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka?" Renji asked with wonder as Tsubaki glared at Ichigo.

"I was a part of Orihime-sama's Shun Shun Rikka. After Sora was born, I was separated from the others. Orihime-sama was so focused on bringing up this boy that we were just drifting in our spirit forms until the attack," Tsubaki explained. "Before that, there was never any need for us to show up. There were still hollows, but nothing a Shinigami fresh out of the academy couldn't handle."

"How did you become separated?"

"No one knows, and no one tried to figure out why. Not that we have any time to now. I'm guessing it's because Sora would not hesitate to fight while Orihime-sama does. Sora can't call Ayame and the others, the same way Orihime-sama can't call me anymore."

"No wonder," Kisuke murmured. "Now that I've had a closer look, his Zanpakuto is like nothing I've ever seen before. Well, now that we know the truth about Kakei and his Zanpakuto, we might be able to devise a way to train him. Nothing dangerous, just enough for Kakei to learn how to defend himself properly."

Ichigo looked conflicted when Kakei spoke.

"This is my decision to make, not yours!"

"Now, now. There's no need for a squabble," Kisuke interrupted. "I'm going to need everyone to cooperate for this to work. Perhaps Isshin and I should discuss my plan for the moment?"

Renji, Ichigo and Kakei nodded their heads in acceptance as Isshin and Kisuke walked away.

"I can't believe I didn't see it earlier!" Renji muttered as he openly stared at Ichigo and Kakei, even after Kakei began to look a little uncomfortable. "I can't believe you're little Sora!"

"We get it, Renji. You can't believe it," Ichigo said dryly as he looked at Kakei. For the first time, he noticed a strange birthmark at the back of his neck, and he looked closer. Renji, seeing Ichigo did the same.

"That looks like Orihime's hairpins!"

Kakei rubbed the birthmark self consciously. "Kaa-san said it just appeared one day. I must've been five. I thought Tsubaki was more of a playmate than anything else."

Above them, Tsubaki glared at the young Kurosaki.

Renji snorted and nudged the younger man playfully. "I bet that didn't go down well."

"No, it didn't," Kakei smirked.

As Ichigo observed the two, a strange feeling settled in his stomach. He noticed right away the ease with which Kakei spoke with Renji. Clearly, he was the only one his son hated.

Isshin and Kisuke walked back to the trio. "Renji, perhaps you can spar with Kakei? I will call Ishida-kun in a while and ask him to help. While Kakei is fighting Renji, Ishida will use distractive maneuvers and try to hit Kakei with his arrows."

Before Ichigo can protest, Isshin spoke up.

"You know full well that when you fight, you are not necessarily fighting one opponent alone. We need to train him in every aspect we can, Ichigo." Seeing that his wayward son wasn't going to agree and keep protesting, Isshin gently maneuvered Ichigo away from the others. "When you became a substitute Shinigami, I stayed away. Not because I didn't care, but because I knew, no matter how much you need to learn to fight, I could not teach you. Because deep down, I knew that I could never be what you needed to learn. And I would have went too easy on you, just like you're being too easy on Sora. I wouldn't have been doing you any favors; I would have killed you."

Ichigo remained silent and Isshin placed both of his hands on his son's shoulders.

"I trusted in your ability to be able to learn quickly to save Rukia's life. I trusted that you would learn how to defend yourself and others. I trusted that no matter how much pain you were going through, you would succeed and learn what you needed to be able to, in order to protect the ones you cared about. You need to show that trust in Sora, Ichigo. He may not say it, he may not act like it, but he needs it. Especially from you."

Ichigo finally nodded. "Okay…I understand. I hate it, but I understand."

Isshin placed his hands on Ichigo's face at patted his cheek. "I've always been proud of you, Ichigo." With that, Isshin walked away, and Ichigo followed behind at a quiet distance.

-0-0-0-0-

**A big thank you to everyone! Please continue to join me in this wacky journey I created in my head! Comments and Reviews are much loved!**

**Cheese Maiden: I could not leave Aizen out! Too good of a material!  
SnakethZero: There is a twist coming around, I hope I can deliver exactly what is in my head, and you are right, it is Seishiro. There is a reason why he calls her Hime, but you'll have to wait a little while longer! And there will be an Ichigo interlude that will explain further why he left. I am just a bit slow with how I am bringing this story around.  
Robin Aries: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next ones I have planned!  
KawaiPanda: Thank you!  
Xtremefairy: Ta! Well... you're gonna have to wait for the next (and the next one after that) to see what Seishiro has planned.  
melnel: Thank you, and yes! He is a very good villain, to good to leave out of the story!  
Ermilus: Thanks! and I hope I clarified the other Aizen, apologies that I didn't indicate it previously!  
Ichihime Supporter: Ta :) All will be revealed! Soon (ish!) and love ya back!  
DeathBerryLover1995: lol! I am planning on making lives a little more difficult for Team Kurosaki! They are Aizen from the past and the future, and apologies that I didn't write that in the previous chapter. It seemed clear in my head, and I forgot to actually illustrate that in the previous chapter. You can try and guess what happens next, and I hope I can surprise you!  
Nypsy: Mamoru won't be happy in the next chapters! And yes, they need to prepare for double trouble! Ta! I got the idea from my friend who posted a facebook pic of all the different ways a baby can make sleeping difficult for the parents!  
**

**Thanks everyone for your comments! I really do appreciate them!  
**


	18. Chapter 14

**And here's a new chapter! and I hope you all enjoy it. Kudos to EternalDream for doing the beta!**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 14

Momo didn't know how the head of the Kuchiki clan was able to do it, but he managed to convince the council to give her access to the book they needed. However, one of the many conditions imposed by the council was that she was always guarded by a ranking officer from another division at all times. Shuuhei Hisagi had agreed to be tasked with the role. Word on the street was that he may have even volunteered for the job.

"Hinamori, are you alright?"

Momo just nodded as she slowly traced the butterfly pattern with her fingers. "I can't believe a book like this could hold so much power." She gently opened the first page of the book and flipped a few pages as she read a fable about a weaver and a farmer, and smiled as she traced the page and chanted the incantation.

"_Wings of Psyche, release the light from the cocoon you have created and lead me to the path of the Morning Star_."

Behind her, Shuuhei watched in wonder as the fable disappeared and red ink began to emerge. The kidou looked dangerous, and he narrowed his eyes as he read the page.

Sensing his interest in the book, Momo glanced at Shuuhei, and a small smile spread across her lips. "Would you like to seat beside me, Hisagi-sempai? It might be easier for you to see what I am doing."

Shuuhei eagerly sat next to her, and Momo turned her attention to the book.

"Have you heard of this before?" he asked as he watched her read the page.

"There was a passage about it in the book that Aizen gave me. This just gives it in more detail, as well as how to cast it."

"So, what exactly is it?"

"It's a temporary soul binding technique. First, the caster needs something from the intended target. A lock of hair, a drop of blood, a note in the target's handwriting—anything will do. The caster will then say the incantation, and whatever the caster does to his or her own body, the target will feel the same thing."

Shuuhei looked at the page and frowned. "I thought you said it shows how to cast the spell? There's no incantation written."

"There is, but it's hidden. If you read this opening passage: _The lover of Eros has brought the gifts of the northeastern wind_…" As she spoke, she pointed at the scroll, and Shuuhei looked at a larger image of the broken disc that Momo had drawn.

"Psyche is known to be the lover of Eros, so the northeastern wind would refer to the northeastern part of the disc."

"Do you think the soul poison is in this book?"

"I hope so. We can uncover every single kidou in this book, but without finding the spells for the soul poison, we might not be able to find a way to counter it. And even if we find the soul poison in this book, we still need a full disc. I'm hoping there may be a picture of the disc in here with the incantation, but to be honest, I'm not holding my breath."

Shuuhei just kept silent as Momo turned another page to reveal another kidou. This time it was to trap an enemy into an illusion. The next three kidou all dealt with illusion and how to use it against the enemy, how to break out of an illusion, and how to render illusions useless in battle.

"Those would be helpful," Shuuhei muttered, lost in thought, and Momo sighed.

"Unfortunately, this talks about the southwest wind. We would need the other half of the disc to complete the kidou."

As Momo continued to work on the spell and searching through the book, Shuuhei was thankful that she'd never uncovered the secret of the book when her ex-taichou had given it to her. He hated to imagine how Aizen could have twisted her devotion even more to fill his own purposes. And then once he had discarded her, as he did with all of his pawns, Shuuhei doubted she would have recovered from it.

Shuuhei aptly watched Momo as she uncovered spell after spell. She explained each one in further detail on what each spell could do and if it was something they could use. A few hours later, Shuuhei laid a gentle hand over Momo's to get her attention.

"Hinamori. That's enough," Shuuhei ordered, and the young woman looked at him. Her eyes were noticeably tired. "Your reiatsu is getting weaker."

"I've only seen a few pages, sempai. There's many more to go."

"You can do the others tomorrow. You need your reiatsu to solve the rest."

"But..."

"You do realize they have given me jurisdiction over you in relation to this exercise, right?" he asked as he stood up and offered his hand to her. "You need to rest. We can figure out the others tomorrow."

Momo, half-reluctant, half-grateful, closed the book and accepted Shuuhei's hand. "Tomorrow, then."

-0-0-0-0-

Tatsuki whistled as she locked secured Sora's milk formula in her motorbike compartment and was about to get on when she noticed a familiar face.

Uryuu looked positively uncomfortable as Ayame held his hand as they walked side by side. He looked up, and Tatsuki tried not to laugh at the expression on the Quincy's face. He gave a nod of acknowledgement and she waved back, and was surprised when he made his way towards her, Ayame unhappily in tow.

"Ishida, Nakamura-san, how are you?"

"Good, Uryuu was just showing me around Karakura. It's nowhere near as pretty as Lucerne, the town I stayed at when I was living in Switzerland, but I suppose this place is okay."

Tatsuki discretely studied the young woman, unsure of how to respond to her friend's fiancée. She settled for giving a smile before she placed her helmet on. "Well, I hope you both enjoy what little Karakura has to offer."

"Are you heading back to Urahara's?" Uryuu asked, and Tatsuki nodded. "Please give my apologies to Isshin-san. I'll be back a little later to help him with Kakei."

"But Uryuu, we're supposed to be watching a show tonight," Ayame reminded him, her tone just short of sounding pitiful. Clearly, she was used to getting her way, and it was obvious she was unhappy at the prospect of him leaving her. "Mom got us box seats for Les Miserables."

"Ayame..." Before Uryuu could continue, all three of them froze as a howl pierced the sky.

Ayame winced at the noise. "What is that?"

Tatsuki and Uryuu looked at Ayame in shock. Even Yuzu, with all her years exposed to hollows and other Shinigami, had never heard a cry of a hollow.

"You heard that?" Tatsuki asked, amazed, and Ayame rolled her eyes.

"Of course I heard it! I'm not deaf."

Uryuu looked up, and Tatsuki followed suit. She held her breath as the sky opened and a hollow began to appear. "Shit."

"What?" Ayame asked as she looked up as well. "What are we looking at?"

"Come on, get on!" Tatsuki urged. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice as she turned the ignition on her bike and handed a spare helmet to Ayame. "Put this on!" she ordered.

"I just had my hair straightened!" Ayame cried out, and this time, it was Tatsuki who rolled her eyes as Uryuu took the helmet and gently placed it on Ayame's head.

"What's going on?"

Uryuu silently got on the bike and practically hauled Ayame in front of him as they sped off.

"What is going on?" Ayame repeated, but she was ignored.

Uryuu turned his head and watched as the hollow, now out in the sky, began heading straight for them. The hollow gave another howl before it increased its speed and dived for them.

"Arisawa! Turn left!"

"Lean to the left!" Tatsuki yelled out as she saw the first street they can turn to, and Ayame, sandwiched between her and Uryuu followed but not without a scream of terror.

"Ishida!" Tatsuki tried to yell above Ayame's voice, but it was hard to tell if Uryuu could hear her. "Call Ichigo! Tell him to send someone now!" Before Uryuu could reach for his phone, Tatsuki let out a curse as she looked at her rear view mirror. "What the hell is that thing doing?"

Uryuu looked behind, and watched as a ball of flames gathered in the hollow's mouth. "Arisawa!"

Tatsuki sped faster as she prayed that they won't encounter anyone else in the quiet street. "Lean to the right!"

They made the right turn just in time to avoid the ball of flame and Tatsuki swore again as another hole in the sky began to open. "Ishida, you need to move to the front!"

"What?" He asked as he looked at the speedometer. With their luck, he wouldn't be surprised if they were pulled over for speeding by some unseeing, ignorant human cop.

"I can't keep on dodging them, especially if I can't see them! You have to move to the front and start fighting them! I drive, you shoot!"

Knowing their options are limited, Uryuu nodded as began to take a deep breath.

"On the count of three!" Tatsuki yelled out as she got herself ready. "One...two...three!"

Ayame screamed as Uryuu move from behind to settle himself in front of Tatsuki.

"That is completely inappropriate!" Ayame cried out as she observed Tatsuki and Uryuu's position.

"Screw being appropriate! Ishida—do your thing!"

Ayame just watched as Uryuu moved his hands, as if he was holding an invisible bow and arrow and she closed her eyes, a memory resurfacing in her head.

_"Show me again how you did it, grandpa! Please!"  
_  
Ayame opened her eyes as she looked behind her. She couldn't see anything, but she could definitely hear something going on.

It took two arrows to dispose of the hollow, and as he prepared to launch an attack at the other hollow coming for them, he glanced towards Tatsuki, who was keeping her eyes on the road as best as she could. "How much further until we reach Urahara's?"

"Ten minutes, give or take," Tatsuki responded as Uryuu another volley of his arrows.

"Okay," Ayame said, a shaky, unsure smile making its way to her lips as she tried to keep it together, "I know Japan is known for some weird stuff, but this is just too much. Is this some sort of a welcome initiation? Because really, there's no need for it."

"I'll explain when we're safe," Uryuu replied as he prepared to fight yet another hollow that emerged from the sky. "You're going to need to turn soon, Arisawa."

"Lean to the right!" Arisawa instructed, and Ayame closed her eyes as she bit back another scream. She knew she should've never have skipped taking her medication, but ever since she met Uryuu, everything started to feel right. Her father and doctor would be upset that it had been months, but the hallucinations had stopped when Uryuu came to her life. Now, she was seriously re-thinking her decision.

"I knew it! I swear, I swear, I swear I will never skip my medication again!" she muttered she heard another howl above them.

-0-0-0-0-

Back at Urahara's store, Isshin watched in sadness as Yuzu and Karin avoided each other. He'd heard their argument—who hadn't?—and he felt his heart break as he watched his two daughters. The twins had never really fought, and Yuzu was always the one to bridge the gap from any arguments, no matter how small within their family. But now, he watched as Yuzu avoid Karin, who looked like she wanted to speak to Yuzu but kept on backing down, very unlike his more headstrong daughter, he just felt defeated.

He was also worried about the future, the relationship between Yuzu and Mamoru, and that she had kept this relationship a secret. According to Sora, Yuzu never had the chance to explain why she didn't introduce Mamoru to them. He wondered why Yuzu would've hidden a relationship from her family in the future. It slightly hurt him that his daughter felt that she had to hide it from them, and anger at himself that he was not able to sense that something was different with Yuzu. To know there was a future out there where he failed his daughter was bitter taste to his mouth.

"Has anyone heard from Ishida?" Renji asked as he looked around. "Isn't he supposed to be training with us?"

"I believe he's playing the role of a dutiful fiancé," Kisuske replied. "Kakei? Perhaps you'd like to start now?"

Kakei nodded, and he walked Renji as they made their way to the training ground only to stop as they felt an immense number of spiritual presences. Kisuke's hand gripped his cane, ready to use his Zanpakuto.

Back in the shop, everyone in the room felt the rift at the same time, and Ichigo grabbed Orihime and Sora as he instructed Orihime to put her shield up.

"Yuzu, Karin! Stay behind Orihime! Keigo and Asano! Go behind her as well! Kakei, stay with them!"

The wall furthest to them glimmered, and everyone watched as Hideyoshi, Jiro and Kusanagi walked out of the portal, followed by a man no one expected to see.

"Aizen!" Ichigo gritted out as he gripped his Zanpakuto.

"It's been a while, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Not long enough." Ichigo snapped. "I should've known you were behind all this!"

Aizen simply smiled. "And now you do. Tell me, Ichigo. Are you strong enough now to protect everyone?" He looked at everyone in the room before his gaze settled on Orihime.

With such a cramped space, Kisuke knew that there were too many things that could go wrong. How Aizen and the others managed to penetrate his shields was a mystery that he needed to solve later. At present, he needed to find a way to open the Senkaimon to separate everybody from Aizen and the Taira crew.

"Ichigo, he's baiting you! Don't fall into it!" Isshin ground out as he gripped his own weapon.

The hollows began to appear, and everyone began to separate in battle formation, each ensuring to keep Orihime and the others safe from the line of fire. The warriors stood still, until the hollows released a howl and launched themselves against the Shinigami.

Ichigo had no trouble fighting the hollows, it was Aizen that he wanted, and the bastard stayed back, along with the members of the Taira clan.

"_Pull back, Ichigo_."

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he ignored Zangetsu. It was Aizen he needed to finish off, and none of these hollows could stop him.

All the kidou that Kisuke placed was starting to fall, and the physical structure of the building was beginning to crumble from the massive spiritual pressures fighting in such a closed space.

"Isshin!" Kisuke called out. "We need to retreat. The structure of this place won't hold for much longer! I need you to cover me!"

Isshin just nodded as he continued to systematically dispose of the hollows attacking him. There was something wrong. There was something troubling about the fact that Aizen and the others were not attacking them.

"I should be out there!" Kakei muttered, but Orihime's hand on his arm stopped him. "I can fight!"

"I know you can," Orihime said softly as she watched the fight. She could see Ichigo making his way to Aizen, and each step closer made his reiatsu darken. His hollow was fighting to be released, and Aizen's appearance was making it worse. "But your safety will be Ichigo's top priority. He won't be able to concentrate if he knows you are in danger."

Kakei chose not to respond, but in the end, he knew it was better for him to be right next to her, where he can protect her better. He gripped his own weapon, and for the first time since he arrived, he no longer cared if people found out who he really was. Protecting his family, his friends, and the future is what mattered most.

Ichigo finally made his way towards Aizen, who looked too cocky for his liking. "If you think you can take Orihime and my son, you have another thing coming!"

Aizen drew his Zanpakuto and attacked Ichigo. "Let's see how much you've improved since the last time we fought!"

"_Pull back, Ichigo_!"

Once again, Ichigo ignored Zangetsu as he blocked Aizen's attack. Urahara's store was too small, and the place was collapsing at a fast rate. Fighting Aizen wasn't difficult, but it was the closed space and the chance that the others would be hurt that made it difficult. As he concentrated in ensuring that neither Aizen nor his new allies didn't get closer to his family, he never noticed the wall behind Yuzu shimmer.

Kisuke finally managed to open the Senkaimon, and his eyes widened as he noticed the rift opening behind Yuzu. "Yuzu!"

Yuzu turned to face him, but it was too late. She screamed as an arm reached out from behind to grab her.

Instantly, Renji appeared and tried to pull Yuzu back, but was stopped with swipe to his torso as the figure holding Yuzu captive appeared.

"Aizen?" Renji cried out as he turned around to see Ichigo fighting with a man that looked exactly like the one standing in front of him. "What the hell?"

The man holding Yuzu just smiled as he stepped back into the wall and disappeared with the girl.

"No!" Renji cried out as he tried to follow, but the portal disappeared, and Renji slammed his fists into the wall as they turned around to see the other Aizen appear next to Hideyoshi.

"YUZU!" Karin made a move to run towards Yuzu, but was held back by Renji.

Kisuke swore under his breath as he tried to order everyone to retreat. "Renji, you need to bring them in now! This place is collapsing!"

Kisuke dragged Orihime and Sora, who was crying as they helplessly watched as Yuzu was held hostage by Aizen.

Renji grabbed Kakei by the arm as he tried to move forward. "Don't! The whole place is collapsing!" he shouted as he tried to push Kakei through.

"I don't care!" Kakei yelled out, but was overpowered by Renji and Kisuke. Chad, having already dragged Karin inside, pushed a completely distraught Keigo and Asano into the portal, and everyone could only watch as Ichigo's reiatsu began to flare with darkness.

Kakei managed to push Renji and Kisuke away from him as the roof above them began to fall. "Let her go!"

Aizen gave a mocking smile to Kakei. "It appears the father and son have failure in common."

"Aizen!" Ichigo grit out angrily, helpless to do anything to the other Aizen who had Yuzu in his grip.

Behind him, Isshin watched in fury as his daughter struggled against their old nemesis. It didn't matter that there was two of them; it was the one holding his daughter hostage that made him see red.

"Let my sister go, you bastard!" Ichigo cried out as his body trembled with rage.

"Now, now, Ichigo. Can you really attack me without hurting your sister?" Aizen challenged, and smiled at Ichigo's expression. "I thought so."

"Ichi-nii! Daddy!" Yuzu cried out as Aizen handed her over to Kusanagi who turned around and began to take her away.

Before Ichigo could follow, Aizen moved swiftly and tried to slice Ichigo's neck, which he deflected easily. "Stay out of my way!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Aizen replied as he continued to block Ichigo effortlessly.

Kakei tried to surge forward, but was held back by Kisuke, who'd again come for him, and was dragged behind just as another beam fell, blocking his path.

"Kakei! We will get your Aunt Yuzu back, but we can't do it here!"

Kisuke watched Kakei glare at him hatefully, and he knew that the boy was about to call out Tsubaki. With no other choice, Kisuke knocked Kakei unconscious before hefting his body and moving him in the safety of the Dangai.

Meanwhile, Yuzu continued to struggle as the man holding her leaned down and whispered against her ear. "Would you like to watch as we defeat your brother and your father, little one?"

"Let go!" Yuzu cried out as Kusanagi held her arms tighter, and even as she tried to kick the man on the shins, there was no reaction from the man holding her.

"I think it's time for us to go. We wouldn't want to keep Mamoru waiting for us."

At his words, Ichigo's eyes widened as he watched as the man holding Yuzu began to leave through the a portal with the other Aizen.

"Come back here!" Ichigo cried out as he fought to reach her. "Just why the hell are there two of you?"

Aizen laughed as he watched Ichigo carefully. Flecks of amber began to appear in Ichigo's eyes. Aizen grinned as he felt Ichigo's control slowly falling apart.

"AIZEN!" Isshin cried out in anger as he bolted towards the man, ready to slice him with his Zanpakuto when Aizen turned around and grabbed Yuzu by the neck and shifted her position in front of him.

Isshin stopped his sword a few inches from Yuzu, who looked in shock. Aizen just smirked as Isshin heard Yuzu scream in fear as he felt Aizen's Zanpakuto slice through his midriff. With a sneer, Aizen twisted the Zanpakuto, causing Isshin to cough up blood.

"Stop it!" Yuzu cried out as she continued to struggle against his hold. "Daddy!"

Isshin grabbed Aizen's sleeves who sneered at him before the exiled Shinigami kicked him away, causing him to crash through the several pieces of wood that have already fallen down.

Isshin coughed up more blood as he stood up. There was no way he was letting Aizen walk away with his daughter. As he moved to charge Aizen again, Jiro blocked his path, but Isshin easily dispatched the man with a simple flick of his fingers.

"Let my daughter go, Aizen."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. After all, I'm only following orders."

Isshin did not move as his mind searched rapidly to find a way to get to his daughter, but before he could try launching another assault, the Aizen who spoke to him moved first, and Isshin barely managed to block the blade aimed at his head.

As he clashed his own sword against Aizen, Isshin gritted his teeth. Urahara's store was falling around them, and there was barely anything left. If this kept up, they'd all be buried. A presence behind him alerted him to danger, and Isshin moved in time to avoid a deadly lunge from Jiro.

"It's over, Kurosaki," Jiro sneered.

Isshin watched a small nick on his hand began to glow red.

Before he could respond, Isshin's vision began to blur as he moved to a defensive stance, Kisuke raced back from the Senkaimon followed by other Shinigami.

Aizen and Jiro stepped back, and Isshin could feel his whole body turn to lead as he felt Kisuke grab hold of him. There was chaos all around him, and he tried to fight Kisuke's hold on him as he tried to reach for his daughter. _"I'm sorry, Masaki."_Isshin's last vision was Yuzu's frightened face and the world became black.

"DADDY!"

Ichigo felt his hollow stir within him with his sister's cry. He turned around and watched as his father was carried off and focused his attention on Aizen.

"_That's it, King! I know you want to tear off his limbs. Let me help you_!"

"Aizen! I don't give a fuck why there's two of you...but I'm warning you, let my sister go!"

The man smiled pleasantly at him as if he were a little kid crying over candy. "It appears that you are never going to be strong enough, Ichigo Kurosaki," the older Aizen taunted, and stepped back as Hideyoshi stepped forward. "As good as it is to see you, I'm afraid we can't keep Mamoru waiting for his gift."

Yuzu tried once more to escape from Kusanagi's grasp, but his hold on her was too tight, and she never had a chance to fight back as she was dragged into the portal, followed by the two Aizens and Jiro.

"Ichi-nii!"

"Yuzu!"

The portal closed before Ichigo could reach it, and he turned towards Hideysohi who looked momentarily shocked at being left behind.

"Ichigo!" Kisuke called out. He could tell that whatever it was that was holding Ichigo's hollow inside and contained was growing weaker. "We need to go, now!"

Ichigo ignored Kisuke as he grabbed Hideyoshi by the neck. "Open the gate!" he growled.

Kisuke noted with dismay the tendrils of dark smoke that began to pool at Ichigo's feet. "Ichigo, release him! We will get your sister back, but we need to leave now!" The roof began to crumble. "Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned sharply towards Kisuke, and Ichigo's eyes were no longer brown, but yellow.

"If you think I will let you..."

A rumble of a motorcycle interrupted whatever Ichigo was saying as Uryuu, Tatsuki and Ayame crashed through a wall and headed straight towards him.

"Ishida! Pull him inside!" Kisuke ordered, and Ishida followed Kisuke's instructions, and used all his remaining strength and dragged Ichigo by the sleeves of his uniform, with Hideyoshi still in his grasp as they raced through the portal. Once everyone was inside, Kisuke quickly closed the portal, as the store that was his home completely crumbled to the ground.

In the Dangai, the speed and the weight was too much for Tatsuki and the bike skidded to the side. Everyone was thrown to the ground.

There were too many things that Ichigo was angry with, but he focused all his anger on one person. He grinded his teeth as he stood up and hauled Hideyoshi up and held him by the neck again.

"Open the gate."

"I can't," Hideyoshi wheezed as he tried to breathe.

"Ichigo! Let him go!" Renji commanded as he tried to take Ichigo's hands away from Hideyoshi.

"They have my sister!"

"I know that! He's not going to be much use to us if he's dead!"

Ichigo ignored Renji as he slammed Hideyoshi's head against the rock. "Open the gate!"

"I can't!" Hideyoshi replied. "It doesn't matter even if I lead you to the land of the Taira...they're not in this time!"

Ichigo didn't release his grip on Hideyoshi, but he stopped trying to shake or hit him, and settled for a deep, disturbing glare.

"Gampa!" a loud wail caught his attention, and he turned around to see his father lying underneath Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka.

He let Hideyoshi drop to the ground as he walked towards his father. Kneeling next to Orihime, Karin cried as she saw him. "Ichi-nii!"

"Orihime..." he said softly as he wrapped his arms around his sister.

Karin's body shook as they looked at their father. Sora just continued to cry as Chad held him, and Kakei looked pale as he stared down on the ground, his fists clenched tightly closed.

Tatsuki walked towards the group, followed by Uryuu and Ayame. "What happened to  
Isshin-san?"

"He's going to be okay, right?" Ichigo whispered painfully. "You can heal him?"

Orihime's tears began to fall as she shook her head. "I'm sorry Ichigo-kun, I don't know if I can."

He felt his heart constrict as he turned his attention back to his father, and placed the palm of his hands over the shield. His father was loud, annoying and boisterous. To see him lying still felt surreal. He could feel Karin sob beside him, hear Orihime as she tried to stop crying, and Sora who was calling out for his grandfather, trying to wriggle out of Chad's grasp.

"What...what do you mean?"

"The soul poison. Oka-san's Shun Shun Rikka can only stop the poison from spreading...but..." Kakei couldn't finish the words, and everyone who heard him refer to Orihime as his mother was too shocked to say anything.

"But what?" Ichigo asked as he felt his throat constrict.

"This is why we have never launched an attack against the Taira. One small nick, that's all it will take for the poison to get to the system."

Ichigo looked at Kakei as he remembered Mamoru's words.

"There has to be a mistake... He can't..." Ichigo looked back at his father, unable to believe that his father was about to lose his soul and die for forever. He had never imagined a world without his father. Couldn't imagine one.

"Ayame and Shun-o are trying to find a way..." Orihime said softly as she took Ichigo's hands. "We're not giving up."

"Accept it, you will never defeat us. The throne will revert back to the Taira clan where it belongs," Hideyoshi spat out, his hands bound as Renji hauled him up to his feet.

"Shut up," Renji muttered darkly. "Don't push your luck."

Hideyoshi just sneered. "Heh. You might as well just give up now; nothing can stop Seishiro-sama, especially now that that child is in his hands."

At the mention of Yuzu, Ichigo's whole body became taut as he stood up and Renji was tempted to knock the man out to shut him up.

"Ichigo-kun," Orihime called out, and tried to hold on to Ichigo. He stopped before gently removing Orihime's hand.

"Don't worry, Hime. I won't take long."

His voice made everyone pause in worry, but Hideyoshi just continued to gloat.

"No need to worry, Kurosaki-san. I'm sure that your sister would make a fine addition to the Taira clan. After all—"

Hideyoshi never finished his taunt because Ichigo disappeared, and before he could blink, the orange haired man was in front of him, eyes feral and bright as he seemed to stare straight into his soul.

"After all, what?"

"Ichigo!" Renji called out as he tried to pull his friend away from Hideyoshi. "We need this asshole for information. We can't kill him!."

"I won't hurt him," Ichigo promised as his eyes continued to gleam, and Renji watched as a mask slowly surfaced on his face. "Much."

Ichigo and Hideyoshi disappeared, and all they could hear was Hideyoshi's howl of pain from a distance as Ichigo reiatsu burst like an open flame, the darkness of his hollow finally unleashed and ready to conquer its King.

-0-0-0

**Another chapter completed! Hoped that you all liked this one! Reviews and comments are much appreciated, they'll keep me warm these winter months :)**

**Magdalena88: You got it!  
Lord Jaric: Crap... my apologies. Some scenes have been re-arranged, but Seishiro's interest in Orihime will be explained soon, and Nadeshiko will be in Ichigo's other interlude, but that will be much, much later.  
RainingLight: Thank you! Hope you liked this update!  
melnel: Not exactly his fault, he does have a reason for doing what he did, and his Interlude would hopefully explain that. Thanks for reading!  
Xtremefairy: Correct! Thank you for the comment!  
robin aries: Hehehe! Yes, you are right! Thank you! Glad you liked that scene, that was my favourite in that chapter.  
nypsy: There will be more explanations in what happened to Orihime's power later, and future Sora will get a chance to kick ass soon!  
DeathBerryLover1995: I'm sure Renji learned his lesson! No Aizen jr here, I'm afraid! The world is not ready for one! Ichigo will have another interlude that will delve deeper on where he went and what he did, but it's going to be a while. In regards to other pairings: stay tuned. Seishiro has reasons for wanting Orihime, but you'll have to wait :)  
Ichihime supporter: No worries, and thank you for the comment and hope you continue to enjoy what I dish out!  
Anna: Thank you! Hope you like this chapter too!**

**And thank you all again for all your reading! **


	19. Chapter 15

**I will be forever grateful to EternalDream for being an awesome beta!**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

**-0-0-0**

The Ties that Binds  
Chapter 15

Ichigo looked down at the man who was trying to stand up. Despite Ichigo releasing him from his bonds, Hideyoshi was still not a match for Ichigo. It hadn't been more than five minutes since Ichigo separated the two of them from the group, but the force of Ichigo's beatings had already done a lot of damage.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me. Your father is as good as dead—and you will never see your sister again!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he slammed his knee on Hideyoshi's chest before he dropped the man on the ground. "Why her?" he demanded as he slammed his foot down on Hideyoshi's back.

The man hissed in pain. "She has been chosen as Mamoru-sama's reward for...arrhh!" Ichigo didn't give Hideyoshi a chance to finish his words. He applied pressure and held Hideyoshi down.

"Ichigo-kun!"

The substitute Shinigami turned around and watched Orihime cry out as she ran towards him, her face filled with distress. Renji, Kisuke and Kakei were following closely behind. They all stopped a few meters away from Ichigo and observed him, his mask still in place as he towered over a badly beaten Hideyoshi on the ground.

Before Orihime could step forward, Kakei blocked his mother from moving.

"What the hell happened to him?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief and confusion. "What's with the hollow mask?"

All three of them glanced to Kakei in surprise. He didn't pay attention to them because his eyes were trained on Ichigo, whose own eyes had drifted back to the man on the ground. The time traveller didn't fail to notice the yellow and black glowing eyes underneath the pale mask, and something like worry twisted in his stomach along with the confusion he was already feeling. His father, who had always been so powerful and unstoppable in Kakei's detested memories, couldn't have been defeated or eaten by a hollow and turned into one. It just wasn't possible. The time it took for even a plus soul to transform was usually a few hours. So what was going on? That dark energy, that animosity—he'd felt it before. He just hadn't recognized it for what it was. That was definitely a hollow mask, and that dark murderous energy was definitely the kind of feeling hollows radiated, but…this was his dad. His dad wasn't like this. Right…?

"You don't know about his inner hollow?" Kisuke questioned, his voice low and calm, and Kakei shook his head and looked at his mother for an explanation.

Orihime bit her lip as she took a quick look at Ichigo to make sure he was okay. Even in his hollow form, she could sense him, Ichigo—her lover and father of their only child so far—and she knew that he was listening to their conversation and that he was hurt by the knowledge that this part of him had been hidden from their son. She couldn't understand why their future counterparts had never shared something this important to Kakei. "I'm sorry, Kakei. I can't imagine why we wouldn't have told you something so important."

Kisuke was staring at Ichigo, almost as if he was measuring him up. "Ichigo, that's enough," he ordered.

Ichigo turned his attention again to the fallen man. With a sneer, he kicked the man on the stomach, turning him over, and Hideyoshi grunted in pain as he coughed up blood. "No," the orange-haired man shook his head, "it's not nearly enough. He's still alive."

"Ichigo-kun!"

At her reprimanding voice, Ichigo's head shot up. Just as Orihime began to move towards him, Kakei again blocked her path, but this time, his other hand reached out behind him for his Zanpakuto. Before Kakei could reach for the hilt, Orihime touched his hand gently. She could see his confusion and turmoil.

"It's okay. He won't hurt us," Orihime said softly, her voice filled with conviction. She offered her son a small smile and gently turned him so he could face her. She brushed his bangs away from his eyes before she continued. "He will never hurt us. Please understand also, that this is how your father has been since he first gained his powers back when we were in our early teens."

With that, Orihime boldly moved towards Ichigo, who suddenly gripped his head as he fell to the ground with a shout.

"Ichigo-kun!" Panicked, she started to run to him.

"Stay back!" Ichigo cried out. He grit his teeth, his hands still clutching his head, as he fought not to scream out loud n pain. He glanced up through his bangs, and saw Orihime coming for him. One eye had reverted back to brown, and the other still gleamed yellow. "Stop her!"

Renji immediately grabbed Orihime in her tracks and held her in his arms when she struggled to get to Ichigo. Kakei continued to look on with shock, disbelief, and a sinking sense of horror creeping up on him. Dark, black waves of energy were pouring out from Ichigo, kicking up all the dust around them.

"What the hell is happening to him?" he whispered.

"Ichigo is fighting for control with his hollow," Kisuke replied and before Kakei could ask another question, Kisuke silenced him with a look. "There will be time to answer all your questions later, but this is not the right moment for it." Kisuke waved his fingers and hands around, and began to mutter a shield kidou that would encase all of them and protect them from the dust and Ichigo, should he lose the battle with his hollow.

"_You didn't really think you could get rid of me that easily, did ya_?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo clenched his eyes shut as the voice taunted him. Searing pain seemed to engulf his brain all at once, and it was hard for him to stay conscious. What held him steady was the thought of Orihime and his son being in danger.

"_After trying to lock me up with that Shinto shit, you really think I'm just gonna let it pass? How'd you like it if I locked_ you _up_?"

Ichigo felt his whole body vibrate as his hollow prepared to take complete control. He tried to remember what the Shinto priest had told him, how he was able to bind the hollow within him.

Hideyoshi watched the scene play out from his front row seat on the floor, and he winced at the reiatsu that Ichigo was releasing. It was like they were surrounded by a dust storm, with Ichigo's friends most likely unable to see him at this point due to the poor visibility. Hideyoshi was close enough to reach him, though. He knew that sooner or later, they would force answers out of him, even if they had to use a kidou to do it. Death wasn't really something he wanted to cross just yet, but he would rather die than betray his clan.

Seeing that the man before him was distracted, and the others were too far away and too visibly disabled to help, he deftly pulled out a tanto hidden in his uniform. Just as Ichigo grunted in paid and bowed down to the ground even more, Hideyoshi took his chance. He moved to try and stab Ichigo, but he never made contact because Ichigo's eyes flew open, his hands quickly grasped Hideyoshi's, and, in one quick twist, he broke his wrist. Hideyoshi screamed in pain as Ichigo stood up. Both eyes were now back to yellow as he glared down at him. The sandstorm gathered in strength, but seemed to stabilize.

"You really want to die painfully, don't you?"

The Taira clansman noticed something off about Ichigo's voice, and the hair on the back of his neck and arms was raised, but he was determined not to be taken hostage at all costs—even if that meant goading Ichigo into killing him. "Do what you want!" he boldly exclaimed. "I'll die knowing that we've already won. Your sister is going to be the key to our victory, and you can't do anything to stop it."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and gripped his Zanpakuto. The bands keeping his Zanpakuto sheathed unwound and twirled in the dust storm as Ichigo stood like a menacing avenging angel above Hideyoshi. "Not even all the demons in Hell can stop me. I've already gone through Hell once for her. Or was that not in your reports? There's nothing your clan can do to stop me from taking my sister back."

"The best trackers in all of Seireitei have never located us, and neither will you. Seishiro-sama will grant your sister as a gift to Mamoru-sama once he destroys the shield that's protecting Soul Society from us."

Ichigo's aura flared in anger, and he put his foot over Hideyoshi's chest again, grinding him to the ground. "I will find her sooner or later. Tell me where she is now, and I'll let you live."

"I would rather die."

"Then so be it." Ichigo raised his blade and prepared to strike down. But before Ichigo's blade could even pierce Hideyoshi's skin, Orihime ran through the dust storm seemingly out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around him.

"That's enough, Ichigo-kun! Please..."

"My father could die," he spoke unevenly, his voice filled with pain. It was deep and ragged from the hollow's influence. "They took my sister."

"We know," Orihime said softly. She could feel his muscles tensed up against her fingers, wound up too tightly and ready to spring into action. "We will find a way to save Yuzu, Ichigo-kun, and your father. That is what we always do. We defy all logic and find a way." She gently reached out and placed her hand on the arm that was clutching his Zanpakuto.

Deep inside him, his hollow flinched, torn between rebelling and stepping down for her. With Orihime's touch, and her soothing voice, Ichigo could feel his hollow slither in the background of his mind. Even after all this time, Orihime still had a hold over his hollow that no one had ever been able to explain.

The dust around them slowly settled, and Orihime continued to whisper words of encouragement to Ichigo.

Beneath Ichigo's feet, Hideyoshi spluttered out blood as he laughed. "The only way to save the old man is to kill him with sword wielded by a Taira, and I sure as hell won't help you! It's too late; you'll never be able to defeat it. Only someone with the blood of the Taira running through their veins can survive the poison."

With the dust storm finally over, everyone ran towards where Ichigo, Orihime and Hideyoshi were, and Uryuu's eyes widened as he heard Hideyoshi speak. So, the Taira clan was immune to the poison… An idea came to him. It was a long shot, but it was the only one they had at the moment other than ending Isshin's life. He quickly assessed Ichigo and knew the others were doing the same thing. Even though Ichigo's eyes had turned back to their natural light brown, his hollow was still close to the surface, and every person there could feel it. Orihime's hold on his hollow had not diminished even in the time they'd spent apart, but Uryuu wasn't going to let Orihime shoulder the burden of keeping Ichigo's hollow at bay alone.

That aside, Uryuu wasn't sure if he was even going to make sense in saying this, but he spoke up anyway. "There might be a way to save Isshin-san. There's no guarantee it will work, but it's the best one we have at the moment." He paused for a moment, waiting for everybody to give him their attention. Ichigo's gaze felt especially thick, and Orihime was still holding onto his arms to prevent him from dealing a killer blow. "He said that the blood of the Taira would need to run through his veins to survive, correct?" When Ichigo didn't move, Uryuu continued. "Orihime has already isolated the poison, if we can transfuse this guy's blood to Isshin-san's, where the poison is at the moment, it might counter it. Inoue-san, how far has the poison gone in his blood stream?"

"Shun-o and Ayame have stopped it from reaching his shoulders. It's contained in the right arm."

Uryuu nodded his head, as if he was convincing himself that his plan would work.

"If we're going to try and save Isshin-san's life, we need that man alive."

"Listen to him, Ichigo-kun. See? There's a lot of people that are willing to help us. You never had to go and do this on your own." She hugged him tightly and willed her love for him to pass onto him by the contact.

Ichigo turned around, and cracks started to run through the surface of his mask, with parts of it crumbling into reiatsu particles.

Orihime released his hands, moved beside him, and softly cradled his masked face in her hands.

"We're with you. We are always with you. I will always be with you."

At her words, the mask completely crumbled in her hands.

-0-0-0-0-

"This…_this_is the child my brother betrayed his clan for?" Seishiro sneered in disbelief as he walked towards Yuzu, who was being held captive by Kusanagi.

Yuzu stayed still as the man walked towards her and stopped a few inches away. He roughly grabbed her face and stared at her hard for a few seconds before dropping his hand. She watched as he approached the two Aizens angrily. "There is nothing special about her! Her reiatsu is too weak. We could choke the life out of her within seconds if we so chose."

"And yet, she can see us." The older Aizen replied smoothly. "You are so quick to overlook the fine details, Taira-sama."

"And what details would that be?"

"That your brother is enamoured with her. The advantage you hold over him now will ensure your victory over Soul Society."

Yuzu trembled in anger and despair at everyone that surrounded her. She could still see her father, blood trailing from his lips as he slumped to the ground, and yet here she was, captured by these strange people and unable to get to him.

"What kidou did you use over Mamoru?"

Yuzu looked at him and tried not to flinch under Seishiro's angry gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You..." Seishiro seethed as he walked back closer to her and looked at Kusanagi, who nodded. Yuzu winced as the man holding her forced her down to her knees and forced her to look up at Seishiro. "Do you really expect me to believe that my brother would choose you over his clan? His loyalty belongs to us, to me! Tell me what you did!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'd never seen him before until your people came to try and take Hime-nee away!"

Seishiro glared at her, still unconvinced that someone so weak, so plain, could hold his brother's interest. Mamoru had always been surrounded by women, even before their banishment. Women from all clans, from the lowest of the Noble Houses to the most influential and beautiful, had continuously thrown themselves at Mamoru, and he'd never once shown any interest. How could one human girl capture his attention when many others, more beautiful, talented, and worthy to be a member of the Taira clan had not?

His mind raced of ways to punish the girl and to punish Mamoru. There were so many ways, and his mind settled on one. Mamoru was still his brother, and he would not be so heartless as to destroy something that his brother considered important to him.

"You are the cause of my defeat! If it wasn't for you, I would've won. Orihime and the throne would've been mine by now!" Seishiro hissed as he grabbed Yuzu's face with one hand. "You have taken my brother's loyalty from me. I believe it's only fair you repay that in kind." Seishiro's fingers drew a pattern on her forehead. He began to chant, and Yuzu began to scream as her head started to feel like it was on fire.

_"Yuzu-chan!" her mother said with a smile. "You're so good at this! Your father will be so happy you helped me make his favorite!"_She could see her mother gently holding her hands as she learned how to bake, but the image slowly disappeared. It was replaced by her father, who laughed beside her as they watched Don Kanonji together. That too slowly disappeared. The pain was too much for Yuzu, and tears began to stream on her face as she continued to scream. There were more images in her memory, from Karin protecting her from their boisterous male classmates, to her brother Ichigo ruffling her hair and thanking her for cooking for him. These also vanished, like they were being pulled down behind a screen of inky darkness.

The fire felt like it had spread all over her body, and she felt as if she was being ripped open. When the heat and the pain finally began to disappear, her body felt as if it were submerged in icy water. Her limbs began numb over, and her eyes fluttered shut.

Seishiro drew his fingers away and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Welcome to the family, Yuzu-chan."

End Chapter

-0-0-0

**Before I forget again, I need to mention that the bike scene from the last chapter was inspired by a scene in James Bond with Michelle Yeoh and Pierce Brosnan. I loved that scene! And Yuzu being used as a shield came from a Fatal Fury movie!  
**

**CheeseMaiden: I packed a lot of stuff in that chapter, I tried to separate them, but it didn't work for me!  
Kevin Trevino: Thank you! And hope you liked this one!  
dameonkaine: Thanks heaps! I hope you continue to enjoy this fic!  
nypsy: It will be very interesting for Mamoru in what he'll do next. I hope you liked this chapter, and the (little) foreshadowing I wrote in :)  
Xtremefairy: Thank you! This chapter doesn't really answer your question, but it soon will!  
RainingLight: Hiya! Thanks for letting me know! And hope you enjoyed this one!  
Ermilus: Will Isshin die, Maybe? Who knows, our fave Quincy could save the day!**

**Thank you all for reading and commenting, and for adding this story to your alerts and updates! I hope you all enjoy this, please continue to feed my plot bunnies with your reviews and comments!**

**Until Next time!**


	20. Chapter 16

**As always, credit to EternalDream for being my beta!**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

-0-0-

The Ties that Binds  
Chapter 16

Dressed only in his hakama, Mamoru walked out of the bathroom completely exhausted. The day was spent strengthening the seals hiding their location, and his bed offered him a much welcomed comfort and respite. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared to rest for the night.

He felt another presence beside him, but before he could move, he felt a familiar reiatsu. He opened his eyes and Yuzu Kurosaki smiled at him before meeting his lips for a kiss. He immediately returned the kiss as he pulled Yuzu closer to him, and maneuvered their bodies so that she would lie comfortably beneath him.

She broke the kiss and trailed kisses along his jaw and his neck before he captured her lips with his own. He ignored Phobos and Deimos who hovered above them squawking. Even in his dreams, his guardians won't leave him alone. Her felt her hands roam around his chest before they settled on his shoulders, her legs slowly moving to wrap themselves around him. Phobos and Deimos began to squawk louder, and his mind barely registered the fact that never in his dreams had he and Yuzu been so intimate, and never had his dreams felt so real.

He allowed his hands to untie her obi. They were just about to part her kimono when he heard her gasp.

"Mamoru-sama."

Immediately, Mamoru leaped away, and Deimos fluttered above him.

_"Mamoru-sama, Yuzu-sama has been captured by your brother. He has completely erased her memory and replaced it with another!"_

He looked up as Phobos chirped in agreement. The two crows landed beside the bed and started at Yuzu in pity.

"Yuzu?"

Yuzu looked shyly at him, lips red from his kisses, and her kimono slightly parted. It was just then that he realized what she was wearing. The golden obi lay beside her, and he approached Yuzu to look behind the red kimono. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the golden butterfly mon stitched at the back, symbolizing Yuzu's status as a bride of the Main Branch of the clan. He looked at her face and gently touched her forehead, and he found no memory of her family.

Instead, a manufactured memory surfaced, with a younger Yuzu being introduced to his family through an Omiai. His anger deepened as he saw more false memories of Yuzu, along with a family that never existed. He quickly withdrew his hands and reached for her obi. He briskly re-tied it around her slender waist. Yuzu looked at him, confused.

"Is there anything wrong, Mamoru-sama?"

"Don't call me that," he said curtly, which caused Yuzu to flinch. "I am sorry, Yuzu, but please do not refer me with that honorific."

"But it's only proper that I address you in such a manner!" she replied, eyes downcast as she turned red.

Mamoru sighed as he left his bed, his body shaking a little. He put his hand over his mouth and stared at Yuzu, who continued avoiding his gaze.

"Yuzu."

She looked up at him, her eyes a little apprehensive, and Mamoru tried to control his anger at what had been done to the girl. "I will return. Stay here."

"Yes, Mamoru-sa…Mamoru."

Mamoru quickly grabbed his shirt and walked out of his room to begin looking for his brother. As he felt for his brother's aura, he had to rein in the growing mass of ire in his stomach. When he finally honed in on where his brother was, he quickened his footsteps and walked towards the War Room.

"Seishiro!"

The oldest Taira looked at his youngest brother, and calmly noticed that he was seething in rage. "Ah, I see you've seen my surprise for you, Mamoru."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I thought you'd be happy, Mamoru. You don't need to sneak out anymore to Karakura to visit Yuzu-chan."

Mamoru watched the smug expression on his brother's face and knew that he had more things planned. "You had no right to erase or replace her memories!"

"I had every right!" Seishiro responded. "I could easily have done so much worse, Mamoru. I kept her alive, didn't I?"

"You shouldn't have brought her here, Seishiro."

"And what do you expect me to do, Mamoru? Let you betray our clan for a girl?"

"I never betrayed our clan!" Mamoru snapped back, and Seishiro slammed his fists on the table as he glared at his brother.

"You betrayed us the moment you chose her over our attack on Soul Society!"

Mamoru felt his reiatsu flare in response to his brother. If he got any more angry, his energy would flood out of his body and start shaking the walls of the room. "I have always been against that plan, Seishiro. Even before I met Yuzu, I gave you my word that I would protect our home from being discovered by Soul Society, and I have kept that promise to this very day."

"We would've won this war long ago had you joined us, Mamoru. I am giving you a choice now, join us or you will never have Yuzu Kurosaki."

"She is not some prize to be won, Seishiro!" Mamoru angrily cried out. "Neither is Orihime Inoue, despite your belief that she will further legitimize your claim to the throne!"

"That's where you are wrong, brother. Orihime is literally a prize to be won. The soul that resides in her was the cause of our downfall in the Royal Realm, and it is that soul that will bring us back!"

Mamoru could only watch his brother walk towards him. Lashing out would do him nor Yuzu any good. He had to think of her safety now that she'd been dragged into this. Seishiro's anger over his perceived betrayal and the betrayal of their clan oozed out in an angry, heavy reiatsu that was beginning to make their surroundings shake. If he let his own reiatsu mingle with his brother's, this side of the building would surely collapse.

"Our grandfather was falsely accused of killing the youngest daughter of Taiso Tentou. They used that reason to banish our clan."

"I know that! But you have also forgotten that Masurao-ojiisama attacked Tentou to fight for the throne. I have seen what the banishment has done to Masurao-ojiisama but to attack Soul Society—to destroy the souls—is not the way! And you cannot be certain that woman holds the soul of the lost princess."

"There is a reason she wields the power that she does. Tentou was not a fool. He knew that one day we would discover that we had been tricked, and we would use her soul as collateral. He would not leave her unprotected."

"And you honestly believe that holding her soul hostage will be the key to the throne? Have you forgotten, Seishiro, that the man used his own daughter, sacrificed his own daughter's _life_to claim the throne away from our clan? What makes you so sure that this time he will hold her safety over his right to the throne?"

"His right to the throne does not exist!" Seishiro responded as he turned away from his brother. "I will give you until the sun sets tomorrow to decide, Mamoru. Either join us and destroy the barrier protecting Soul Society, or I will give Yuzu to one of my men. The choice is yours."

"What makes you think I will let you near her?" Mamoru asked coldly.

Seishiro turned to face him again, a smile on his face. "What made you think I will just hand her over to you, Mamoru?" Seishiro replied smugly. He motioned for one of the guards to let their guests in.

Mamoru stood in shock as he watched a much older Aizen, followed by Kusanagi and  
Yuzu who was still dressed in the red kimono that he saw her earlier in. There was no way Kusanagi or Aizen could've gone past Phobos and Deimos without his knowledge, until he saw the glint in Aizen's eyes.

"You sent me an illusion."

Seishiro smirked. "I have to say, Mamoru. I was surprised you did not detect it. You must really have grown fond of Yuzu-chan if you did not notice something so easily recognizable."

Mamoru clenched his fists and watched warily as his brother approached Yuzu. "You have not been waiting long, have you, Yuzu-chan?"

"No, Seishiro-sama. Aizen-san and Kusanagi-san kept me company in the gardens while we waited," she replied, as she looked shyly at Mamoru through her bangs.

The youngest Taira looked in shock, for a brief moment, it was as if he was meeting her again for the first time. Even from this distance, Mamoru could sense that the Yuzu that stood a few feet away from him was similar to the illusion he saw earlier. Her memory has been replaced as a young noble woman promised to him by her parents.

"Well, Mamoru. What will it be?" Seishiro asked, and Mamoru felt that he had reached his boiling point.

"Is there anything wrong, Mamoru-sama?" Yuzu asked worriedly.

"My brother is just tired, Yuzu-chan. Kusanagi, why don't you bring Yuzu-chan to her chambers? I'm sure my brother would want to spend time with her after he is well rested."

Kusanagi just nodded, and before he could move, Mamoru spoke.

"She will stay with me."

"I don't think you have the power to negotiate this, Mamoru," Seishiro said, his smile sly.

Mamoru returned with a glare. "Either she returns and stays with me in my quarters, or I will not abide by anything. She stays with me, and I will join you in the attack against Soul Society. If you do not agree, I will drop the shields protecting us the moment she walks out of this room away from me, Seishiro. The choice is yours." Seishiro's smile disappeared at his brother's threat. Before he could speak, Mamoru continued, "You never should have brought her here, Seishiro. Neither should you have taken away her memories. You know full well that not even you can give it back, and to what purpose? To back me in a corner? You know I have always hated being forced into action. But I have always kept my word, Seishiro. So make your choice. Give her to me now, or the shields will fall."

"You..." Seishiro seethed as he looked at Aizen, who had masked his own shock quite well. "You would choose her over your family."

"I have never chosen her over our family. I have said it once and I will say it again. I have never agreed to attack Soul Society, and I have never believed your methods to be the correct way to regain our honour. But you have never listened. Make your choice, Seishiro."

When his brother didn't respond, Mamoru's eyes glowed and a faint green aura gathered in his hands before he released it out the window. A few seconds later, Seishiro looked in shock as he felt one of the pillars slowly collapse. Knowing that he was out of time, he looked at Kusanagi, jerked his head, and the man backed further away from Yuzu. Mamoru held out his hand to her, and she looked at Seishiro for confirmation. He nodded, a scowl on his face, and Yuzu walked to where Mamoru stood. The moment he held her hand in his, the green aura surrounding him disappeared, and Seishiro felt the pillar return to full strength.

"I will never forget this, Mamoru," Seishiro growled out as he watched his brother walk away with the girl.

"Neither will I," Mamoru responded without looking back as he walked back to his quarters along with Yuzu.

-0-0-0-0-

Ayame looked back at the man called Hideyoshi, and felt momentarily saddened that her precious limited edition Hermes scarf was now being used as a gag. Until she remembered the ramblings they had to endure. Ayame couldn't take it anymore. Everyone was either mad, or sad. Though from what she had learned, the sister of her fiancé's friend has just been kidnapped, and his father was now close to death, so it was understandable why everyone was in such a lousy mood. Though really, was this just a manifestation of her frustration that Uryuu wasn't showering her with enough attention?

She shook her head as she continued to walk. Never in her hallucinations been this intense. Or crowded.

"Nakamura-san?"

Ayame turned to find the man called Kisuke Urahara peeking at her from his green and white hat.

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and this weather isn't doing much for my skin. Thank God I had a spa treatment yesterday. Although since this really is all a part of my imagination, it probably doesn't matter."

"Imagination?" Kisuke asked, intrigued.

"How else could all these things be happening? I can't wait to wake up because everyone here is just _so _depressed."

Behind them, Uryuu just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What makes you think you are imagining all these?"

"As if this is real!" She gestured around them. "That, and I haven't been taking my medication. I used to take them every day until I met Uryuu," she continued, and Kisuke watched in interest as the girl's eyes softened. "After I met him, it was almost as if I was fine. I wasn't seeing things anymore."

Kisuke nodded as he processed the information he received. "What kind of things?"

"You know, ghosts, spirits, whatever it is those things are called."

This time, Uryuu's eyes widened at Ayame's response. "You can see ghosts?"

"No silly!" Ayame answered as she looked back at him. "I thought I was seeing ghosts, but daddy said I wasn't and that those things don't exist. I was about nine when I stopped seeing things. Daddy brought me to this doctor in Germany who gave me some medications. Dr. Schneider has moved to the US, and I see him once every three months to take my medication. Though sometimes, I think I'm fine, and I'll stop taking them. I keep making up excuses not to see Dr. Schneider. I'd take the first plane to Paris or Ibiza, but then, I start seeing things again. Until I met Uryuu, that is, I forgot to take the bottle when we spent a week in Switzerland, but nothing happened after that. I guess he's my cure." She paused and waited for Uryuu to step beside her. "Until today, that is. That sea-weed treatment probably didn't help."

Uryuu looked at Kisuke, who gave a small smile. "Would you mind showing me that medication, Nakamura-san?"

Ayame opened her bag, reached for a white plastic bottle, and handed it to Kisuke. He took the bottle, and his gaze fell on the charms on Ayame's bracelet. Seeing his interest, Ayame smiled as she showed him her jewelry.

"My grandfather gave me this years ago, just before he died. It's honestly so daggy, but I..." Ayame stopped as she looked at the bracelet. "But I still love it because he gave it to me, that and I'm just so cool that it's not so daggy anymore."

"That you are," Kisuke replied as his mind began to drift. He had seen those symbols before. He looked at Uryuu and could tell instantly the young man didn't look as if he recognized the charms.

They group continued to walk, with Renji, Chad, Ichigo, and Keigo carrying make shift stretcher, with the others walked behind them.

"We're here," Kisuke announced. "Yoruichi, please inform Unohana-taichou that we are bringing Isshin-san, and please bring Ishida-san so that he can help prepare what we need."

Yoruichi nodded, and before Uryuu could say something, the woman grabbed him by the front of his shirt and disappeared.

"Wait—where…where did they go?"

"Don't worry, Nakamura-san. We will see them shortly," Kisuke said reassuringly, and Ayame nodded, but she stopped in her tracks once they entered a big wooden gate. She looked around and watched men and women, dressed as if they were living centuries ago instead of today, walk around them, casting suspicious and surprised looks at the group. Even the buildings were old.

"Where are we?" Ayame wondered, more than a little bemused.

Kisuke turned around and gave a small bow. "Welcome to Seireitei, Nakamura-san."

0-0-0-0-

**And another chapter completed! I hope Ayame is now more intriguing than annoying! I have something special planned for her. Any guesses on what her twist is? **

**nypsy: I'm going to have to check out that movie now! Hichi is a good character to play around with because as you mentioned, he's not your average bear hollow. As for Mamoru, how did you like his reaction?  
melnel: Mamoru's attraction to Yuzu will be explained further down... pretty much at the last chapters, which shouldn't be that far off! I love Mamoru now as well, He's been appearing with Yuzu in some other fics where they shouldn't be!  
Ermilus: Thank you! We do need someone as the calm, cool, collected voice of reason when things are going haywire! Stay tuned to see how the gang will save Isshin and Yuzu!  
Kevin Trevino: Thank you! And the hollow vs Ichigo will happen, but not for the next chapters. It will happen though... eventually!  
Guest (1): They might need more than the power of love, but that will play a part!  
Guest (2): Ta! Work has been busy, I try to do once a week, worst case scenario would be once a month, but I promise not to wait for another 5 years to update! And I hope I gave a good explanation on why Seishiro wants Orihime too!  
Guest (3): This chapter should answer your question on what happened to Yuzu! Will the blood transfusion works? We'll see!  
Guest (4): I don't think I'll be able to answer your questions soon! But hopefully the future chapters will!  
Guest (5): Thank you, next chapter is already being written!  
Anna: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this one too!**

**Thanks to all again who commented and reviewed, read as well as added this to their favourites! Hope you all continue to enjoy this fic, and please continue to let me know what you think, or any guesses on character twists!**


	21. Chapter 17

**I've said it more than once, and I will continue to say it again. EternalDream rocks for being such an awesome beta! **

**As always, Standard Disclaimers Apply**

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 17

Uryuu Ishida looked at the now unconscious man who was lying in a bed, unable to believe that the pale, almost lifeless man was Isshin Kurosaki. The man was larger than life. Uryuu almost expected him to jump out of bed and laugh that he was able to fool them all. Pushing his glasses up, he looked at the fourth division members hovering around Isshin and sighed. There was no guarantee this would work, but it was worth a shot. Taking blood from an unwilling donor however, was making him uncomfortable. Regardless of what he thought of Hideyoshi, he could not shake the fact that what he was doing was unethical.

"Is everything up to your specifications, Ishida-san?" Retsu Unohana walked in the room. The Shinigami stood next to Uryuu, who bowed slightly in greeting to her, and watched as the tube from Hideyoshi's arm was attached to Isshin by Isane. "Are you having doubts about the success of this procedure?"

"No," Uryuu replied hesitantly. "Not about the procedure. However, I wish that we had a more…willing donor. Enemy or not, that man still deserves our respect. I know that we are trying to save a life, but…"

"You feel it is against the Hippocratic Oath?" Uryuu looked up in surprise at Retsu, who smiled gently at him. "I know that this situation isn't ideal. However, at this very moment, we have little choice. It's not how I would like to save Kurosaki-taichou, but the threat of the poison—it's too dangerous for us not find a way to fight it. It will not be one of my proudest moment, and I doubt it will be the last, yet, we do as we must. The poison has to be eradicated, or more lives will be lost." Retsu sighed tiredly, feeling the weariness of her age and all the countless wars she had been in, in her long life. Her finger's brushed Isshin's hair from his face. "I had just started at the fourth division when I first saw him," she smiled, remembering. "I thought that he was everything a Shinigami taichou should not be. He quickly proved me wrong though. I remember you were with his son when young Kurosaki-san proved our new generation of taichous wrong."

"Did he act like a complete buffoon back then?" Ishida asked dryly, and Retsu laughed.

"That is most unkind, Uryuu-san." Retsu scolded him gently, a hint of a smile still curling her lips. "I'm not sure what a buffoon could've done to deserve that from you."

The Quincy chuckled. He looked at Isshin Kurosaki, and even though he knew it was many, many centuries ago, he could imagine the man causing havoc within Seireitei.

"I don't even know if this will work."

"It's worth a try. In a few hours, we will find out."

"Is that man...I believe his name is Hideyoshi. How is he?"

"He's fine. I made sure that we did not take more blood than what was necessary. Although I'm afraid he'll only have tonight, or until noon at the latest tomorrow to recover. Yamamoto-taichou has already ordered he be brought in for questioning tomorrow." The two of them stood silently for a moment, knowing exactly what that questioning would entail. "You should rest; I've heard of what happened back in Karakura Town. Will your fiancé be alright?"

"She's in shock, for the most part. Ayame will be fine, thank you for asking."

"Is she a Quincy? I detect something in her, but her reiatsu feels clouded. Almost as if there is something blocking it."

Uryuu nodded. "I'm beginning to wonder myself, though from what I've learned so far, her father appears to have made sure she has no knowledge of any business that relates to Quincies or anything spiritual for that matter."

"Hmm. A shame," she whispered softly as they both watched, and hoped, that the man lying before them would soon wake up.

-0-0-0-0

"Yuzu-nee?"

"I'm sorry, Sora-chan. Yuzu-nee is not here at the moment," Orihime said softly, and felt her heart break as her son began to whimper. "Shh…" Orihime bounced Sora in her arms as he began to sob. Never had she felt so helpless in easing Sora's discomfort. Ever since Ichigo's sister went missing, her son was either crying or throwing a tantrum, refusing to eat or drink anything that was offered to him.

Even from a distance, she could feel Ichigo as he released his anger on the training grounds at the Kuchiki compound. Urahara had suggested it, fearing that the anger that Ichigo was feeling would be used by the hollow if he tried to restrain his reiatsu. She could only hope that Uryuu's plan would work.

Sora's sobs were about to turn into another round of tantrums, so Orihime kissed her son on the forehead and rubbed his back in an effort to calm him down. "Shh, Sora. It will be okay." He stared at her for a few seconds, before his wail echoed in the room. Orihime heard the shoji slide open and looked at Byakuya apologetically. "I'm sorry, Kuchiki-taichou..."

Byakuya just nodded as he watched the boy who was straining away from his mother as he continued to wail.

"His aptitude in sensing reiatsu is causing his distress. He is too young to realize what is going on, and he cannot protect himself," Byakuya explained as he walked closer. "He can feel everyone's reiatsu, and all that energy is too much from him."

At his words, Orihime looked at him gratefully. She called her shields and watched as Sora's eyes blinked before he looked around him. She could feel his chest settle into a steady beat and soon, his wails slowly ceased as he began to yawn and settle himself against Orihime's shoulder.

"Thank you Kuchiki-taichou."

Byakuya nodded and watched the boy who looked at him with soft brown eyes slowly drifting shut.

"Orihime!"

Orihime glanced behind Byakuya and waited for Rukia to reach her. She gave Orihime's hand an encouraging squeeze, unable to hug her due to the shield. "Are you alright? I heard about what happened to Isshin-san and Yuzu-chan."

"I am..." Orihime replied as she tightened her hold on her friend, grateful to feel her comforting presence. "Thank you, and you as well, Kuchiki-taichou, for accommodating us."

"Nonsense," Rukia said. "Nii-sama, I will be taking Orihime and Sora-chan to their rooms. The others have settled in already."

Byakuya nodded. "I will be speaking with Yamamoto-taichou shortly. Remember our agreement, Rukia."

"I will. Thank you again, Nii-sama."

The two women bowed to Byakuya before Rukia gently led Orihime away. The taller woman looked down at her friend worriedly. "Is everything okay, Rukia?"

"Everything is fine," Rukia assured and gave Orihime a comforting smile. "I'll tell you everything later."

-0-0-0-0-

The sun had barely risen when Momo was summoned to the 2nd Division interrogation chambers. She stood next to Shuuhei who gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

"We have the disc," he announced.

Momo's eyes widened in surprise. "How?"

"One of the men from the Taira clan was left behind after the attack in Karakura. We have his Zanpakuto. We have the whole disc."

Before Momo could reply, Byakuya walked in, followed by Renji. She could feel Renji's shock at seeing Shuuhei and herself, but he made no mention their way except a brief tilt of the head to say hello. The four of them and the prisoner were surrounded by members of the Second Division's onmitsukido.

Shuuhei felt the hair on his arms stand up. It was very rare for members of different divisions to be present in an interrogation, and for a taichou of a different division to head the interrogation. He heard Momo's gasp as another figure walked in the room. Toushiro Hitsugaya gave him the same glare that he graced everyone with before bowing his head to Momo, who returned the gesture with grace.

"Is this how you welcome all your prisoners? To be graced by the Heavenly Guardian and Sierietie's best?" Hideyoshi asked as he stared at the people around him. His hands were shackled, but he didn't need his hands or any weapons to attack everyone in this room. Not even the shackles preventing the use of his reiatsu could stop him. He had always known the arrogance of the Shinigami would bring them down, and today will be the day that he would prove that. He only had one chance, but if he eliminated at least Hitsugaya, it would weaken the Shinigami in the future. He tried not to smile at the opportunity presented to him and instead bowed his head so his expression would be hidden and lowered his shoulders so they would mistakenly think he was afraid. He already knew everyone in the room except for the woman in the back. There was something familiar about her…but regardless of who she was, she would not be able to stop him. No one could.

"What is the purpose of your abduction of Yuzu Kurosaki?" Byakuya asked, his tone bored as he stared pointedly at the man chained to the wall.

Hideyoshi sneered and spit in Renji's direction. "Why don't you ask him? I believe I already made that quite clear."

"I am asking you," Byakuya responded, his face impassive. "What is the purpose of your abduction of Yuzu Kurosaki?"

"A gift. For some unknown reason, Mamoru-sama seemed quite attached to the human. Seishiro-sama thought it would be a gesture of good will to give the girl to him."

"How did your clan find the machine to travel through time?"

As Byakuya asked his questions, and Hideyoshi answered with mockery, Momo noticed something strange. Hideyoshi's left foot was moving. While other prisoners had done the same to alleviate discomfort, there was something about the way he was moving it that caused her to be on alert as she studied the movements.

"What are your intentions towards Soul Society?"

Hideyoshi smirked as he finished the butterfly pattern and stamped his foot on the wooden board, causing the wood to glow red and rise to the ground. The bricks around them became shrapnels that attacked the Shinigami. The biggest piece of wood headed straight for Toushiro, but before it could even reach the prodigy, the bricks and the wood disintegrated to the ground. Hideyoshi gasped in disbelief at how his attack could've failed. This time, it was Toushiro who smirked.

"Arigatou, Hinamori."

Behind him, Momo nodded. The moment she'd realized what the man was trying to do, she erected a kidou barrier without chanting the words to prevent Hideyoshi from figuring out that she'd discovered his plan.

Renji glared at Hideyoshi as he hauled him to his feet. "What the hell was that?"

"It's one of the specialties of the Taira clan," Momo said, before Hideyoshi could choke out another sarcastic answer. "It's their last line of defense should they be captured and relieved of their weapons. As long as they can move a part of their body to make a pattern of a butterfly, they can access the kidou."

Hideyoshi's eyes widened when he realized who the woman standing before them was and why her name was now so familiar.

"Momo Hinamori. Che," Hideyoshi sneered as he looked at the fifth division fukotaichou. "Your reputation as a kido master is certainly true." There was a certain tone in his voice that made Momo freeze in disgust as his eyes roamed over her body. "Makes me wonder if the other rumors are true as well."

Toshirou glared at Hideyoshi as he angled his body and shielded Momo away from the man. "What are you talking about?"

"It's no wonder Aizen was quite fond of you. You _did_ serve under him quite well. And your appearance is so cute and innocent. The perfect little lamb waiting to be eaten up by a big, bad wolf."

Momo's hands tightened in her fists, but she refused to reply or even flinch under his gaze.

Renji grabbed Hideyoshi by the throat and forced the man to face him. "You are really asking to get your ass kicked, aren't you?"

Hideyoshi just grinned nastily and turned his head as much as he could towards Momo. "They don't know, do they? I'm not surprised. I wouldn't be walking around admitting that I'd been Aizen's whore, either."

"Enough!" Toushiro said in anger. The room began to feel cold, and as Renji felt the hair on his arms stood up, he knew it had nothing to do with the sudden drop in temperature.

"I'm sure Aizen will be more than pleased to see you again. After all, he misses his sweet, little Peach. I wonder how many—"

Hideyoshi never finished his sentence because Renji delivered an uppercut to the man before carelessly dropping him to the ground. At Byakuya's look of disapproval, Renji raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Hinamori, are you alright?" Shuuhei asked with concern.

Momo had gone white as a sheet. "I'm fine, Hisagi-sempai. I just need…" She didn't finish her words, just walked out of the room, needing to be out of there and away from everyone's prying eyes.

"Oi, Hinamori!"

Momo didn't turn around even after she heard Toushiro call out her name a second and third time. She continued to make her way back to the Fifth Division until her path was blocked by her childhood friend's smaller body.

"Are you alright, Hinamori? You shouldn't let that bastard get to you," he ground out in anger as Hinamori's hand settled on her stomach in an attempt to calm herself down.

"I'll be alright, Shiro-kun. I just need to lie down for a bit…"

He looked into her eyes, and in that moment, he knew that what the man had been saying was true. Toushiro felt his blood freeze as realization dawned on him.

"It's true…isn't it? You slept with Aizen."

Momo nodded, her expression haunted, and Toushiro never realized that he could hate Aizen even more than he already did until that moment. Anything he wanted to say was forgotten as Momo continued to stare at him, her face completely pale, and he could've sworn she was going to drop to the ground any second now.

"I loved him!" Momo whispered as she looked pleadingly at Toushiro, begging him to understand. "I honestly loved him," she continued as she took deep breaths. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she silently prayed that no more tears would be shed over Sousuke Aizen. "I thought that he loved me too."

"Hinamori-fukotaichou." The two of them turned around at her name. Members of the onmitsukido surrounded them. "Your presence is required back in the Second Division Headquarters."

Toushiro carefully regarded the people surrounding them. "She will not be going anywhere but the Fourth Division."

"Yamamoto-taichou has ordered—"

"Fuck Yamamoto-taichou," Toushiro snapped. He knew where this was going. He saw the look on their faces the moment that bastard Hideyoshi insinuated an affair had occurred between Momo and Aizen. There was no way in hell he was going to let them interrogate and question her loyalty again.

"Shirou-kun," Momo said softly behind him, gently taking his hand into her own. "It's alright."

"No, it's not," Toushiro said, his voice low with anger as he glared at the people in front of them. "I'm taking you to Unohana-taichou."

"Hmm! It's supposed to be Spring, isn't it, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Toushiro craned his neck around and saw Shinji Hirako walking towards them with his usual, stupid smile plastered across his face. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't turn it into Winter. Otherwise, I won't be able to see all the pretty ladies in their pretty kimonos."

Toushiro felt his eyes twitch as the blond approached them. "What are you doing here?"

"Mou, Shirou-kun!" Momo admonished softly as she clutched his sleeves chastisingly.

Shinji grinned wider. "I heard interesting news on the social grapevine that my fukotaichou's presence is wanted back at the Second Division. It's always been my understanding that the correct protocol is to inform the taichou of the division, who will then escort his lieutenant."

"Your presence is not necessary."

"Oh, but it is. Huh…lemme guess, you're all eager to impress your pretty little taichou, ne? Well, you can't exactly impress her if you've all turned into popsicles after Hitsugaya-taichou finishes with you all."

"We have direct orders from Yamamoto-taichou!"

"Under what directive?" Shinji asked in a bored tone as he examined his nails. "It's been a while since I've been here. Perhaps you can remind me—or even _better_, do you have this request written down, signed and sealed by the First Division? Because if it's not, then, your words are meaningless. And as the head of the Fifth division, you have no jurisdiction over my lieutenant. And if you try to approach her, well, _I_ won't do anything. I can't promise anything for Hitsugaya-taichou's sake, though."

"This…this is preposterous!" the man stammered.

Shinji shrugged and gave Momo a warning look before she could speak up.

"Maybe it is. But until you hand that written notice to me, there's nothing much for us to talk about. Unless, of course, you want to play this out with everyone watching."

The leader of the interrogation group looked around. They had gathered too much attention, and he knew Soi-fon taichou would not approve.

"We will return with that written order."

Without waiting for a response, the onmitsukido left quickly.

"Hitsugaya-taichou." Toushiro raised an eyebrow at Shinji. The insolent smile was gone from his face. "I trust you will take Hinamori to the Fourth Division?"

"Of course."

"Good," Shinji said before giving Momo a serious look. "Whatever happens, do not go with them."

"But…"

"This place has not changed much since I left. It is not about your innocence—it's about how they can twist things to their advantage. Your mastery of kidou and your added knowledge of the Taira Clan's kidou is making a few old goats nervous. Ichigo's presence and the threat of the Taira is making a lot of people agitated. They know they can't take on Ichigo, and they can't do anything about the Taira at the moment, but you…you are somebody they can, and will, exploit if you give them the chance to."

"She will stay with me," Toushiro spoke up, as his mind had already come to the same conclusion that Shinji's had.

"Good. Now that we have that cleared, I have a few people whose feathers I need to ruffle. Take care of my fukou-taichou; she is my first love after all!" Shinji cried out as he walked away with a wave.

The young captain shook his head in exasperation and then focused his attention on his friend. Momo's face was still very pale.

"Oi, what are you just standing there for? We have a division to get to."

"Shiro-kun..."

She looked at him hesitantly, and Toushiro rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to make you talk about it, baka bed wetter," he muttered. "I'll wait until you are ready." Momo smiled sadly at him, and Toushiro could only hope that Aizen would be wiped away from her memory forever soon.

"Thank you."

Toushiro just nodded as he looked around them, making sure there would be nothing that would stop them from reaching the Fourth Division. "Let's go."

TBC

-0-0-0-0-

**Anna: Hope you like this update. More on Ayame soon! 7  
Kevin Trevino: Maybe, maybe not. I do have something planned for them. ;) And yes, I changed the summary! You're not hallucinating! Thanks for liking this fic!  
LuvleeCookieChan: Thank you! I hope by the end of this I can show that Ichigo isn't a deadbeat, just a guy made some poor choices!  
Guest 7/16/12: Yes, Seishiro made the wrong move! There will be more about the royal family and what happened back with the Taira, and glad that Ayame is not as annoying in this chapter! OrihimeKurosakiInoue: Thank you so much!  
Xtremefairy 7/14/12: Thank you! Mamoru isn't happy with his brother at the moment, and I hope you will enjoy what I have in store for Mamoru and Yuzu!  
DeathBerryLover1995: hhhmmm, you may be on to something here! I hope you enjoyed this update!  
nypsy: Seishiro made the wrong move! There will be an interlude that will show more about the Taira and the current Royal Family, but I am keeping my lips sealed about the princess!  
RainingLight1: Thank you for your earlier review as guest! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and what I have planned next!  
Magdalena88: lol! Darn! I do hope you will like her by the end at least!  
melnel: Kisuke knows a lot of things, but sometimes he doesn't share! I hope I can satisfy your curiosity with the bracelet and the medication when the time comes!  
Ermilus: Yuzu will be back soon, and who knows who Ayame really is? (I do... but not telling at the moment!) **

**Thank you all again! I appreciate it very much! I hope you all continue to read and enjoy The Ties that Binds, as I enjoy (sometimes, when it's not stressing me out) writing it as well.**

**Reviews and Comments are always appreciated!**

**Till next time!**


	22. Chapter 18

**Shout-out to EternalDream for doing the beta!**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply**

The Ties That Binds  
Chapter 18

The moment Toshirou Hitsugaya entered the Sixth Division compound; he was immediately greeted by a lower seated Shinigami who escorted him straight into Byakuya Kuchiki's office. He simply acknowledged the presence of the Shinigami and entered the room, not surprised to see Shinji Hirako already in there.

"What took you so long? I expected you to get here before me," Shinji said with a smirk as the white haired Shinigami ignored him and looked straight at Byakuya.

"You were the one that requested Hinamori to be present at the interrogation. Why?"

Byakuya returned Toshirou's icy glare with a look of indifference. "Her proficiency in kidou and her knowledge about the kidou wielded by the Taira Clan would have been an asset to us, and not even you can deny that her presence there has saved us all." At his silence, Byakuya continued. "It was never my intention to have her relationship with Aizen be discovered. Had I any suspicion they knew, I would have proceeded differently. I am assuming that Hinamori-fukotaichou has confirmed Hideyoshi's insinuations?"

Shinji clenched his fists upon seeing Toshirou nod stiffly. There was always something about Aizen that he did not like and had never trusted. But not even he could have suspected that Aizen would form a relationship with his lieutenant, regardless if it was romantic or simply for pleasure. He'd known Aizen long enough that he knew it was the latter, and that the pleasure with the knowledge that he could twist a person's mind, heart, and soul to his desire had led him to seduce Momo.

"Has Hinamori deciphered everything in the book?" Toshirou inquired abruptly, to shift the focus of the conversation, and Byakuya shook his head.

"She is close. With the disc we have recovered from Hideyoshi's Zanpakuto, it should not take long for her to complete her task. Hisagi-fukotaichou has been tracking and reporting her progress since they began."

Toshirou's eyes narrowed. "He was sent to spy on Hinamori?"

"Hinamori-fukotaichou is well aware of why Hisagi-fukotaichou is with her. The presence of another high-seated Shinigami was required to be with her at all times. I would have assumed you would be pleased that the assignment was taken up by someone Hinamori-fukotaichou calls a friend."

"Will Hinamori be allowed to continue to decipher the book with Hideyoshi's revelation?"

"There is not much of a choice, whether people are unhappy knowing of her past discretions or not. Even if Hinamori-fukotaichou has written down everything she has discovered, there is no one who comes close to her technical expertise. Her defensive actions during Hideyoshi's attack is proof of that. To relieve her of this task would be pure foolishness. If she can fully uncover all the kidou in that book, and the Quincy's hypothesis is correct, we can find a cure for the Soul Poison."

"Yet you have doubts," Toshirou observed. Byakuya may seem like a stoic, cold man to most, but Toshirou had been around him long enough to decipher his moods and mannerisms.

"It is no secret that even to this day, Hinamori-fukotaichou's loyalty has been in question by certain members of the council. By now, they will have been informed of what Hideyoshi revealed, and they will use this to their advantage. It is more than likely that they will simply choose another Shinigami to finish what Hinamori-fukotaichou has started."

"I am assuming you have her safely hidden away in your division?" Shinji asked. In his mind, he was already plotting what their next step would be. He knew he hadn't been wrong in his assumption that Seireitei had not changed a bit since he was first exiled.

Toshirou nodded his head. "I have instructed Matsumoto so stay close to Hinamori. Every Shinigami in my division will be in the lookout for any hint or presence of the Onmitsukido."

"Well, they're gonna have to find me if they want to speak with her again," Shinji said in an almost lazy manner as he stretched his arms behind him. "Better go and make things a little more difficult, ne? I still have a lot of work to do."

The two captains watched the blond Vizard walk out of the room. Toshirou returned his attention to Byakuya. "Do you know what they have planned for Hinamori?"

"No, I do not," Byakuya replied truthfully. "But we both have our own suspicions of what could happen next."

"They already tried. Had it not been for Hirako-taichou's intervention…"

"I was under the impression that it was your intervention that stopped them from taking Hinamori-fukotaichou."

Toushiro scowled. "Hinamori would've just walked straight back with them."

"She would not have you jeopardize your position, Hitsugaya-taichou, regardless of how unnecessary it would have been."

Toushiro looked at Byakuya, one eyebrow raised in question at the other man's words.

"It is no secret that you are believed to be the reincarnation of the Heavenly Guardian." Byakuya raised his hands when Toushiro opened his mouth to protest. "Whether you believe it or not is not important. What is important is what _they_believe. Hinamori-fukotaichou, as unjust as it may be, is seen as expendable despite her expertise in kidou. But you are not. You hold more power than you think, Hitsugaya-taichou. Use it well."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Toushiro simply bowed his head respectfully as he took in the extent and weight of Byakuya's words. "I need to speak to the council. Will you help me get an audience with them, Byakuya-taichou?"

Byakuya waved his hand elegantly as if gaining an audience was nothing. "I will send word to you once it is arranged."

Toushiro again bowed his head to Byakuya. "Arigato, Byakuya-taichou."

-0-0-0-0-

Ichigo opened the shoji as quietly as he could and stepped in the room he shared with his family, courtesy of Byakuya. He stepped inside and slid the shoji shut and watched as his son slept underneath Orihime's shield. He looked at Orihime in concerned, but she smiled at him to ease his worries.

"He's okay, Ichigo-kun. Byakuya-san explained that all the reiatsu that Sora-chan can sense is making him uneasy. Hinagiku and Lily are just blocking all the other reiatsu."

"He can sense that much already?" Ichigo asked in awe. His heart melted for their son.

Orihime grinned in response. He sat next to her and welcomed her chaste kiss. "Have you seen your father?"

"Unohana-taicho won't let me see him until tomorrow. Ishida said it was too soon to tell."

Orihime wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her cheek to his broad chest. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

"Don't do this to yourself, Hime," Ichigo whispered as he returned the embrace and rested his cheek on her head. "It's not your fault, and you stopped it from spreading. You gave my dad a chance, and because of that we have a chance at finding a cure."

"Has Urahara-san said anything," she hesitated for a split second, "about getting Yuzu-chan back?"

"No. Not yet," he responded gruffly. "He thinks the disc on the Zanpakuto can act as a compass as well. He's been looking for Hinamori to see if she can activate it or something, but no one can seem to find her."

"Is she alright?"

He scowled. "No one would say anything. Last time people saw her she was on her way to the Fourth Division with Toushiro. No one has seen her since."

"I'm sure Hitsugaya-kun would know where she is then, or even Hirako-kun."

"Renji has offered to look for them in the mean time. I just wanted to see how you both were. Karin is already sleeping next door."

"Don't worry about us, Ichigo-kun. We're fine. I'll look after Karin. As soon as Rukia comes back, I'll visit your father again and maybe Ayame and Shun-o can do more."

Ichigo moved a little further away and ran his hands through Orihime's hair as he kissed her lips before pressing his forehead against hers, his hands cradling her head. "I just need…I just need to be with you, even for a short moment."

Orihime looked at Ichigo. She saw in his his eyes that he was conflicted at wanting to seek comfort when his father's life was hanging by a thread and his sister abducted. She guided him to rest next to Sora as she lay down next to his stretched out body.

"Everything will be okay, Ichigo-kun. We will find a way. Just rest for a moment," she whispered. She settled his head against her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around him. "Just rest."

She felt his hands settle against her waist as he kissed her neck. They didn't speak or move, but when she felt Ichigo's breathing became a steady rhythm, she expanded her shield to cover Ichigo. She stood up, careful not to wake either of her boys from their slumber. She may not have been able to help in finding Yuzu, but she'd do everything she could to find a way to help Isshin. Taking another look at the sleeping father and son, Orihime could not help but smile at the picture they presented.

"Look after them, Hinagaku, Lily—please?"

The shield blinked in agreement, and Orihime whispered her thanks before she walked out of the room.

-0-0-0-0-

Inside his room, Mamoru watched as Yuzu slept on his bed, with Phobos and Deimos perched on the headboard. He could feel their interest in the girl, and he had always wondered about how quickly his two guardians formed an attachment to her. When his grandfather first gave him Phobos and Deimos, it took more than a year for the crows to acknowledge him as their master. And yet, in a space of a few weeks, his crows had shown Yuzu their respect, affection, and their protection—something that he had had to earn through time.

He knew that her memories were now gone, and it would be a miracle to get them all back intact. He could still remember when he looked through her mind, and found a family that loved and protected her. The family in her memories now were distant; there was no laughter or spending time with her father playing around the park. Her memories now consisted of calligraphy, music and etiquette lessons, all intended to prepare her for her for the life of a Taira.

His hands slowly drifted towards her and brushed the strands of her hair obstructing her face.

He knew he had a very limited time in finding a way to keep her safe, as well as keep his word to Seishiro. He had already pushed Seishiro to the limits, and he knew his brother well enough that if he did not keep his end of the bargain, Yuzu would pay for his mistake.

Deimos fluttered next to him, and he shook his head at his guardian's suggestion.

_"She loved you then, and she can love you now. Your brother may have manipulated her memories, but not even he can manipulate her heart."_

"I have acted dishonestly in claiming that love. I will not do so again. If she will love me, it will be because she knows who I really am; I will not allow her to feel any affection towards me when her memory has been manipulated into believing that she belongs to me."

Phobos nodded his head in agreement with Mamoru's words. Deimos simply walked next to Yuzu and gently rubbed his wings against her cheeks.

_"I want her to stay."_

Before Phobos or Mamoru could respond, they all felt another presence just outside the barrier Mamoru had erected. His shoulders tensed as he felt the presence hover just outside his room. He quickly stood up and grabbed his Zanpakuto to face the intruder. His eyes narrowed as he saw Nadeshiko standing outside with a scowl on her face as he left his room and faced the angry woman.

"You are wasting your reiatsu erecting a barrier to protect that human."

"What do you want, Nadeshiko?"

Nadeshiko's scowl deepened as she looked behind the closed door. "Why are you protecting her? How could you choose someone over your own people?"

Mamoru, tired of repeating the same words over and over again, sighed and said a mental mantra to keep from snapping at her. "I am protecting her because she never should have been brought here. I have said this more than once, Nadeshiko. I have never supported the war against Soul Society."

"You were willing to risk exposing our location for that human!" Nadeshiko accused.  
"I heard how you threatened Seishiro-sama!"

"And what would you have me do, Nadeshiko? Allow her to be used as a pawn when she should never have been involved in the first place?"

"You involved her!" Nadeshiko snapped at Mamoru. "If you stayed away from her, she would never have gotten involved. She is not even of any significance in this war! She has barely any reiatsu. She was never of any interest to us until you became interested in her!" Mamoru froze and tightened his hold on his Zanpakuto. At his silence, Nadeshiko knew she'd spoke the truth. "Are you really joining the attack against Soul Society?" She looked at him with suspicion.

"I gave my word to Seishiro," Mamoru responded neutrally as Nadeshiko continued to glare at him.

"I will never understand why Masurao-ousama could ever choose you over Seishiro-sama. You are not fit to lead this clan back to glory! That throne belongs to our clan! Our lineage! Have you no respect for the history of our people?"

"I respect the lives of our people. What good is it to respect the history of our people if their lives are needlessly lost?"

"We have the Soul Poison, we can win this war!"

"That poison was not invented to be used in such a manner!"

Any words Nadeshiko was going to say was cut off as they both heard a squawk inside the room.

"Is there anything else you wish to say to me, Nadeshiko?"

The woman glared hatefully at the youngest Taira brother. "You had better keep your word Mamoru, or else…"

"Or else _what_?" Mamoru challenged when Nadeshiko left her words hanging. "Do not threaten me, Nadeshiko."

"I am not threatening you. I will finish that human off if you do not hold your end of the bargain. You cannot protect her at every second."

"And then what, Nadeshiko? You will run to Ichigo Kurosaki and tell him what you've done?" Mamoru asked and watched as her face paled. "Do you think that your actions will earn his affections?"

"What…I have no idea what you are saying," she denied, surprised that he had noticed.

"You were a fool to allow yourself be compromised when you were sent on that seduction mission, Nadeshiko. I know of your failure, and your inability to accept Ichigo's loyalty to the woman he left behind. You never acknowledged that Ichigo's heart had already been given and that not even time or distance away from Orihime-san could have ever tempted him."

"You don't know what you are talking about!" Nadeshiko snapped. She felt the nape of her neck burn in anger.

"I don't? Although you were correct in your earlier assumption, Nadeshiko—I cannot protect Yuzu every second—but one slip from me is all it that will take for you to get your second chance. I will, however, ask you this, Nadeshiko. What will Ichigo Kurosaki do to you when he discovers what you have done?"

"He will not hurt me—" she tried.

"And his hollow?" Mamoru interrupted. "You know full well that no matter what he has done, his hollow has always managed to escape from whatever bonds Ichigo has tried to control it with. And this is years into the future. What will this timeline's Ichigo do? This Ichigo has not reached the same level of training the Ichigo we know has. You have read all the reports about Ichigo Kurosaki. You tell me what he will do to the one that harms his sister."

Mamoru did not wait for a response and turned around to leave Nadeshiko in her thoughts. The moment he walked inside his room, he stopped and watched Yuzu daintily get out of his bed and begin to fix her kimono.

"Yuzu."

The girl looked up in surprise and immediately bowed her head. "Mamoru-sama.

_"She was never of any interest to us until you became interested in her!"_

Mamoru tried to shut Nadeshiko's voice out of his head as he focused on Yuzu. She looked at him in embarrassment.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did," Yuzu replied. "Thank you for letting me stay, Mamoru-sama. It was most kind."

"Don't," Mamoru stopped her, and she looked uncomfortable. "There is no need to address me in that manner."

"Oh, but...it would not be appropriate. And I really need to return to my own quarters. I do not want to intrude…"

"You are not intruding. This is the safest place for you to stay."

At his words, Yuzu nodded and took a deep breath before she spoke. "I do not wish to be the cause of a rift between you and your brother. I do not understand what is going on, but I feel that I am unworthy of your protection, especially when I can see that it is causing your brother to be angry with you."

Mamoru's jaw clenched. The way she spoke was wrong. The way she stood, and the way she acted, was not the Yuzu he knew, the Yuzu that he loved. But the moment her eyes met his, he felt his heart beat faster, and it brought that strange sensation back in his chest as Deimos flew above him before perching on his shoulders.

"_What would be so bad in keeping her? You will keep her safe and make her happy, right? This is your second chance, Mamoru-sama."_

_"Deimos! Yuzu-sama has been taken away from her family! You know how much they mean to her, even that brat of a nephew! It would be dishonorable for Mamoru-sama to take advantage of her."_

"Mamoru-sama?" Yuzu asked hesitantly, and tried not to back away when Mamoru approached her.

"You are not unworthy of anything, least of all my protection. But my decision will stand; you will stay here as long as it is necessary. Deimos will stay with you at all times," Mamoru told her softly as Deimos flew from his shoulders and landed on Yuzu's with a squawk.

Yuzu nodded reluctantly and Mamoru raised his hand hesitantly to gently touch her face.

"I am sorry for what has happened. Had I suspected it would come to this, I would have stayed away."

"I don't understand what you are saying, Mamoru-s—" Yuzu whispered, her words cut of as Mamoru's thumb gently touched her mouth to stop the honorific from leaving her lips.

The two of them stood silently until Mamoru reluctantly moved away from Yuzu. "Ask Deimos for anything you need. He will provide them for you. Deimos, you know what to do."

Deimos nodded, and Mamoru turned around to walk away. Hs hands itched to touch her skin again.

Hidden behind the canopy of trees, Aizen frowned. His initial plan had failed; he had underestimated the youngest Taira's resolve to protect Ichigo's sister. However, the exchange between Nadeshiko and Mamoru proved interesting. If he could plant enough seeds of doubt in Seishiro's head, it would not take long for the idea to take root. Mamoru had already angered his brother. It would not require too much effort to make Seishiro believe that Mamoru would not honor his words in attacking Soul Society. With the plan already finalized in his head, Aizen smiled as he leaped to the roof and back to his own room.

Seritae would be under his command before the end of the week, and it would be Seishiro and his people who would deliver him his victory.

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**And another chapter is done! Thank you for reading! Please review and comment, they will be much appreciated!**

**Guest: Hope you liked the IchiHime moment in this chapter! I was aiming for shocking people in regards to Hinamori, and there are more shocks to come!**

**Guest2: If you doubled on the review, all good to me! I hope that I can keep you excited as more chapters come around!**

**OrihimeKurosakiInoue: hehehe! Surprised? ;)**

**melnel: I just had to use it! And glad that you liked it too!**

**nypsy: Shinji is a very interesting character, especially being the former Captain and his past with Aizen. Hope you like what I have in my sleeve when it comes to Shinji! And that Byakuya scene was not in the earlier version, but I'm now glad that I added it in with your comment!**

**RainingLight1: Ta! And I am now glad that I added that Byakuya scene since there have been some appreciation about it! **

**DeathBerryLover1995: Yep, Shiro is pissed, but he'll be pissed even more! You got me **

**Ermilus: Thanks for enjoying the fic that much! Ayame's twist will be revealed... eventually!**

**Though I can say that no, Momo is not pregnant. Not in this fic at least!**

**Xtremefairy: Thank you! I'll reveal if it worked or not shortly!**

**Once again, thank you all! **


	23. Interlude  Momo and Toushiro

**I'm currently recovering from the ass-kicking we received from the All Blacks last night, so I thought it was time to put out another chapter, please show me some lovin'!**

**One day... the Wallabies will b on top again! Until then...**

**A big thanks to EternalDream for always giving her time in doing some beta work!**

**A note on this Interlude: Unlike the previous interludes, this is more of a missing scene between the last two chapters. It was initially meant to be a flashback like the others, but  
Aizen just creeped me out. As this Aizen is a manipulative jackass and his intentions towards Momo was just plain evil, I could not, no matter how much I tried been able to write  
them both in a more intimate scenario which I originally planned. **

**I hope you all give this interlude a go and enjoy this chapter!**

**-0-0-0**

**Standard Disclaimers Apply.**

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The Ties That Binds  
Interlude: Momo and Toushiro

Alone in one of the Fourth Division's examination rooms, Momo stared blankly at the wall, willing her mind not to drift back to the past that she had tried so hard to forget. The silence that surrounded her did nothing to stop the onslaught of memories, and as she closed her eyes, her fingers gently touched her lips as she remembered the time when she believed that she going to have a happily ever after. She could almost feel his breath against her neck and the feel of his lips against her skin. The memories assaulted her, tormenting her for having been so blind, for having fallen for a monster…

_The first time Aizen kissed her, Momo felt her heart soar as his lips pressed against hers ever so gently. She was vaguely aware that he softly slid the shoji  
of his room shut._

_There had always been glances, the briefest of touches, but never in her mind had she ever expected this._

_"Aizen-taichou..."_

_Momo felt as if her lips were on fire as he gently laid her down the futon, his lips coaxing her lips to open as his kisses became more heated. "Say my name."_

_Momo couldn't barely form a coherent thought when she felt his hands slowly drift over her body before deftly untying her obi, and she could only gasp as she felt his hands touch her bare skin as his lips continued to trail kisses on her neck and on her chest._

_"Say my name," he ordered again breathlessly._

_His voice was rough as he captured her lips with his own and gently raised her up to straddle him. There was something strange in looking at her taichou without his glasses. The gentle man she knew was gone, and she was faced with a man whose intensity frightened her and excited her at the same time as he continued to roam his hands over her naked skin. "Say it, Momo."_

_"Sousuke..." Momo whispered bashfully. She watched his lips formed into a smile that, until much later, she wouldn't fully realize didn't seem to quite meet his eyes._

_He distracted her with another kiss. This time, as he held her with one hand, the other slowly made its way to her hair tie, and with one tug, her brown hair cascaded over her back. She watched as his eyes hardened with what she thought was more intensity. He brought her down to the futon and thrust into her, and Momo felt her back arch against him as his hands continued to touch her._

_She surrendered her body to him, and she felt as if he held her world in his hands as he whispered words of endearment while he claimed her over and over again. She wrapped her legs around him as he instructed, her hands clutching his shoulders as she tried to keep up with his movements, and she felt her body build up in a tremor she'd never felt or experienced before._

_"You belong to me, don't you?" he asked in a whisper as he kissed her neck, and Momo nodded her head. She could only whimper as he chuckled, as he continued to give her pleasure she never knew was possible._

_"My sweet, little, Peach..."_

"Hinamori."

Momo started. She tried to muster a smile as she shook the memory away and turned around, eyes wide, and watched her childhood friend walk in the room. "Shiro-kun."

"How are you feeling?"

Momo busied herself with organizing some papers on the nearby desk so Toushiro wouldn't notice how weak and feeble her smile was. "I'm fine. Unohana-taichou recommended that I simply rest for a while. She said I've been working on the book too much, and I need to take a break. She sounds just like Hisagi-sempai."

Toushiro scowled. He had noticed Shuuhei Hisagi loitering around Momo a little too frequently for his liking. At his expression, Momo rolled her eyes.

"Mou, Shiro-kun. Hisagi-sempai has been really good to me."

"I didn't say anything," he grumbled, and Momo sighed.

"That is the same look you have on your face every time Kira-kun…see!"

Toushiro didn't bother to hide his displeasure as he steered the topic away from the blond lieutenant. "Are you ready to go?"

Momo nodded. "It's really okay, Shiro-kun. I can just go back to the Fifth Division."

"Baka! Didn't you hear what Hirako-taichou said?"

"I heard him, but I don't want you or Matsumoto-fukotaichou to get in trouble because of me."

Toushiro crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not even planning on going back to the Fifth Division are you? You're just going to walk straight to the Second Division!"

Momo didn't bother denying it. "They just want to ask me some questions, Shiro-kun. And I need to finish that book, especially now that we have a complete disc. If they see that I have nothing to hide, then they'll know that I have no other intention but to help Soul Society against the Taira Clan."

Toushiro looked at his friend, and wondered how she could remain so naive even after the way she had been betrayed by Aizen. "Didn't you hear what Hirako-taichou said? It's not about your guilt or your innocence."

"You don't have to protect me all the time, you know," Momo said softly.

"Oi. Do you really think I'm just going to let them use you as a scapegoat or some sort of sacrificial lamb? They already know about you and Aizen." At the mention of Aizen's name, Toushiro stopped as he watched Momo's lips settle into a grim line as she hid her trembling hands in her sleeves. "Did he…did he force you?"

Momo's eyes widened. She quickly stood up and grabbed Toushiro's hands. She could feel his anger towards the former head of the Fifth Division and shook her head. "No. No, he didn't. I knew what was going on, or at least I thought I did."

Toushiro kept his mouth shut as Momo looked away from him, his hands still in hers.

"If you want to ask me something, Shiro-kun, ask."

"Why?" he wanted to know. He tried to control his emotions. "You know a relationship between subordinates is not recommended."

"I know it's frowned upon, but it wasn't exactly against any law. I just…"

Momo released her friend's hand and sat down on the bed again. "When he looked at me, I really believed that he loved me. I loved him even before I became his fukotaichou. I thought it was fate when I got the position, that it was a sign that we were meant to be together. That out of everyone he could have chosen to be his lieutenant, he chose me."

Momo smiled wistfully as she stared at the wooden floor, unable to meet Toushiro's eyes. "The first time he kissed me, I felt as if everything in the world was the way it should be. I…I really believed that he wanted me, loved me."

Toushiro didn't say anything, and instead sat down next to her.

"I wanted to tell you, you know," she confessed softly. "But I knew that you wouldn't have liked it, and I was afraid that if people knew what was going on, it would have to end."

This time, she looked up at Toushiro, and he felt his heart sink. He had always suspected it. Even if they had never spoken of Aizen again, he had seen that look in her eyes too many times already. It hurt him each time he recognized it to see that she still couldn't let that bastard go.

"You still…" he could barely say it, "…you still have feelings for him? After everything?"

"I know what he did was wrong. I'm not that blind anymore, Toushiro. I don't have feelings for him, and I know that the man I've always known was just a mask, an illusion. But I can't get him out of my head. When I close my eyes, I see the man I thought he was, not the man that he really is."

"Hinamori…"

"I need to make them see that they can trust me with that book, Toushiro. There is a kidou that can be used against all illusions. We both know how powerful Aizen's illusions are. We both know that he will use that technique to fight against us. I need to end this Toushiro. I need to get him out of my head. Knowing that he's out there, alive…I will always hope that he'll…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't have to. At her confession, Toushiro could not control the sudden drop in temperature until Momo looked at him and started to scoot away. That moment, he reigned in his emotions and quickly grabbed her hand to show her that he wasn't upset with her.

"I will help you get that book and the disc, Hinamori. You have to promise me not to speak with the council. If Hirako-taichou can't stop them from taking you in, don't say anything."

"Shiro-kun..."

"Promise me, Hinamori." His hands clutched hers tighter.

"I promise, Shiro-kun," Momo responded softly. "I promise."

"Good," Toushiro said with a nod. He stood up and offered her a hand. "Let's go. Matsumoto should have something prepared for you."

As Toushiro led her out of the room, Momo looked sadly at the man that was once just a boy, and let him lead her to the safety of his division. She could only hope that one day, he would forgive her for lying to him.

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**Thanks for reviewing! Very much appreciated!**

**Cheese Maiden: Aizen rocks, he's not just a bastard, he's a magnificent bastard :)  
OrihimeKurosakiInoue: Ichigo is a one woman man! Nadeshiko's got nothing on Hime!  
bluerose921: hope you liked this update!  
nypsy: Byakuya and Shinji will have a bigger impact to play soon in terms of how Hinamori's fate will play out. Your comment made my day! There will be more explanation on Nadeshiko, and what will happen to Yuzu and Mamoru? Stay tuned!  
Guest (1): There will be more IchiHime moments, and more intrigue to come!  
Guest (2): You are correct! It will be dealt with in more chapters on why Ichigo did what he did...  
melnel: Aizen is just too good not to use for evil!  
RainingLight1: Glad you enjoyed this! There will be more IchiHime moments!  
Ermilus: Aizen is brilliant! He will be making his move soon!  
DeathBerryLover1995: Byakuya is an interesting character, especially after seeing the Zanpakuto episodes, it was funny to find out he wasn't very stoic when he was younger. Older Sora, Kakei is with them, and he'll be making an appearance soon!**

**Thank you all for reading! Hope you continue to do so! **


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